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MEMOIR 



HON. WILLIAM A P PL EX P N. 



PBEI-ARED AGEEEAHI.Y TO A RESOLUTION 



MASSACHUSETTS IIISTOEICAL SOCIETY. 



REV. CHANDLER R0BBIN8, D.D. 



^^r 



liJHitlj an -Ipprntiiv. 



BOSTON: 

PKESTTED BY JOTIN WILSON AND SON, 
5, Water Street. 

186.3. 




M E M I E 



HON. AV I L L I A M APPLE T O N. 



TN tlie year 1635, Samuel Appleton came from Little 
-*- Waldingficld, in Suffolk, Eng., Avith his famUy, and 
settled ui Ipswich. Descended from an ancestry of good 
i-epiite in his native coimtry, he became the progenitor 
of a highly respected race ui the land of his adoption. 
The beautiful Memorial of him published in Boston 
in 1850 renders it superHuous to renew the famUiar 
account of his lineage. Whoever will refer to that 
■\olimie, will find that in every period, from that of his 
remotest known ancestor, John Appulton of Great 
Waldingfield, who died in 1-414, the family name has 
ne\cr failed to be worthily represented. Not only the 
commemorative tributes of this Society, but the amials 
of our State and National legislatures, the records of 
various institutions of learning, charity, and religion, the 
public eulogies and private encomiums of the citizens 
of Boston, and even the commercial and industrial 
prosperity of New England, bear testimony to the 
honorable maimer in which it has been sustained in the 
thii'teenth generation. 



4 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

The instances must be very rare, in which, in a single 
city, four individuals of one kindi-ed and name, and in 
the same grade of natural descent, have contempora- 
neously made then- own way from humble begumings 
to such high distinction in the same calluig as was 
lately attained by the three brothers, Samuel, Nathan, 
and Ebenezer Applcton,* and their cousin WilUam, — 
a sketch of whose life we are about to give. They were 
so intimately and pleasantly associated in life, and then- 
images are natiu-ally so grouped together in our remem- 
brance, that Ave coidd not speak particularly of one till 
we had fu-st made respcctfid mention of the rest. 

AVUliam Appleton was bom m the North Parish of 
Brookfield, Mass., Nov. 16, 1786. His father, Kev. 
Joseph Appleton, was horn in Ipsmch in 1751 ; gradu- 
ated at Brown University in 1772; was ordained minis- 
ter of the Second Church in Brookfield, now the Fhst 
Congregational Church ia North Brookfield, in 1776 ; 
and died in July, 1795.f He Avas a man of respectable 
abilities, approved scholarship, and exemplai-y Christian 
character. 

His mother was INIary, daughter of Jacob Hook, a gen- 
tleman farmer of Kingston, N.II., whose estate was large 



• Ebenezer Appleton died in April, 1833, at tlie age of forty-eight. He was a man 
of more tlian ordinary talent?, and of considerable literary taste and culture, genial in 
his disposition, and popular in liis manners. 

t The only work ever published by him was a controversial theological pamphlet of 
thirty pages. There is an elegant monument to him in the churchyard of North 
llrooklicld, with suitable inscriptions, erected by his son, the subject of this Memoir. 

Among the last of Iloii. William Applcton's benefactions was the contribution of 
five thousand dollars to the Eirst Congregational Society of North Brookiield, for the 
purchase of a library for the use of tlic minister. It is called the Appleton Library. 

We arc indebted for these facts to Uev. C. Cushing, the present pastor of tlie chmch 
in North Brookfield. 



MEMOIR OF H0.\". WILLIAM AI'l'LETOX. 5 

for that place and period. At the death of her husband, 
who bequeathed to her a small property and the sole 
charge of five yoimg childi'en, — two sons and thi-ee 
daughters, — she removed to her native place, and occu- 
pied a farm of moderate value, which she had inherited 
from her father. In the year 1798, she was married to 
INIajor Daniel Gould, of Lyndeborough, N.H. ; and, Avith 
her childi'eu, took up her abode in that town. jNIany of 
the traits of her character bore a striking resemblance to 
those which afterwards appeared in her son. She had a 
strong mind, a quick apprehension, a sound judgment, 
and an unusual capacitj' for business. Although of 
feeble health, she was energetic and persevering. Her 
conversation was often plajful and witt}-, and occasion- 
ally seasoned with a spice of satire : though all these 
qualities were duly held in check ; for she was a Chris- 
tian, both by profession and practice. Her son has 
recorded his deep sense of obligation to her for having 
shaped and controlled his character. In a brief notice 
of her life, written on the day of her death, he says, 
'• From the time my father died, she was very particular 
in giving her children religious instruction, and often 
prayed with them in her chamber. I have lost in her, 
not only the faithful guardian of my infancy, but the 
discreet monitor of my youth, and counsellor of my 
mutimty." 

She was evidently a fine specimen of the best class 
of New-England mothers ; to whom, more than to any 
other source, are to be traced those sovmd principles, 
vu'tnous habits, and practical qualities, by means of 
\\hicli their chUchen have attained both material pros- 



b MEMillIt (JF HON. WILLIAM AIM'LKTON. 

pcrity and a fiaii- moral fame. Ilcr death took place 
at Mount Vernon, N.H., June 25, 1842, in her eighty- 
seventh yeai", after she had long enjoyed the fruit of 
her maternal fidelity in witnessing the successful career 
of her'son. 

In tracing that career, as Avell as in estimating 
]\Ir. Appleton's character, we have been permitted to 
avail ourselves of a private diary, which he had kept, 
with occasional interruptions, diumg a period of nearly 
fifty years. It fills seven manuscript volimies, eAddently 
written without the slightest reference to posthumous 
use. It consists of very brief and simple notes of 
incidents, especially mteresting to the writer, con- 
nected with his family, his busmess, the state of his 
health, and his religious experience and duties : to 
which are occasionally added reminiscences of early life ; 
impressions of men ; obituary sketches of his friends ; 
and views, both retrospective and prospective, of com- 
mercial, financial, and industrial afFaus. Although 
intended exclusively for his own perusal, there is no- 
tliing m this jovu'ual which would not bear general 
inspection. On the contrary, it exhibits the Avriter, ofi" 
his guard and in his interior life, in a highly creditable 
and amiable light. It reveals such conscientiousness, 
such an humble estimate of himself, such a true and 
lively affection for his family and friends, such a constant 
confiict with the love of the world and the desire for 
riches, and such gratitude and submission to Providence, 
as are worthy of respect and sympathy. 

In using this diary, it will be our endeavor not to 
violate tlie generous confidence of the living, nor the 



Mioioin iiF HUN. wn.r.iAM appi.etox. 7 

delicate reserve wliicli is due to the private papers of 
the dead. No further reference will be made to it thau 
may be necessary to such a truthful representation of 
his chai'acter as alone \\ould be sanctioned by himself, 
or conducive to those moral and Christian ends which 
were e\-idently near to his heart, and to which, we are 
persuaded, he would desii'e, above all things, that his 
biography should be subservient. 

He was sent to school at an early age, fii'st at New 
Ipswich, and afterwards successively at Francestowii 
and Tyngsborough. In 1801, he made his tu-st trial of 
business as a clerk in a store at Temple, N.H., kept by 
IMr. Artemas Wheeler. His capacity and good conduct 
made such a favorable impression upon his employer, 
that, at the age of nineteen, he took him into partner- 
ship. At the expiration of a year, having found that a 
country store afforded a too limited field for his abilities 
and ambition, he sold his stock, and interest in the firm ; 
and with the small property which he had inherited, 
together with what he had earned, came to Boston. In 
alluduig to this period, he was scrupulously careful not 
to appropriate the remark, intended to be compliment- 
ary, wliidi was sometimes appHed to him, as it has 
been to so many other of oiu" wealthy citizens, — that he 
came from his country home with nothing but " a small 
bundle in his hand, and a few cents in his pocket." The 
sum which he actually brought Avas small enough, in con- 
trast A\itli what he afterwards accumulated, to accredit 
his talents for business ; and the very fact that a portion 
of it had been already saved, and the remainder earned, 
before his arrival, throws back upon his youth the merit 



8 JIEMllin (IF HdV. WII.I.IAM ATPLETOX. 

of those same qualities wliicli were afterwards so conspi- 
cuously exemplified iii liis maturit}-. 

The following memoranda, relating to the early stages 
of his busmess-Ufe, are copied from his journal : — 

" After I came to Boston, I resided for a short time with 
How and Spear, who kept a West-India goods store. In 1807, 
I went into business witli Mr. N. Giddings. We kept at the 
corner of India Street and Central Sti'eet, — the only store then 
occupied in the street. (?) Our business was the buying and 
selling of West-India goods and crockery-ware. We dissolved 
our connection in the autumn of 1809. Then, considering 
myself worth about four thousand dollars, I bought the sliii) 
' Triimiphant,' at Salem, in connection with Upham, Gassctt, 
and Co., for five thousand dollars, and went with her to Fayal, 
where I had her put under Portuguese colors, and despatched 
her to Liverj^ool ; I taking passage with jNIr. and Mrs. Bow- 
doin in another ship. On my arrival at Liverpool, I found my 
ship had been captured by a French pirivateer : but she was 
fortunately retaken a few weeks after, and brought to Ply- 
mouth ; whither I went to take charge of my property. I 
remained in England till July ; when I embarked in the brig 
' Eliza,' Captain Gai-dner, with about ten thousand pounds' 
value of goods, for account of myself and Parker, Appleton, 
and Co. These goods, and another importation, I sold ; and, at 
the end of the year 1811, found myself worth about ten thou- 
sand dollars. I went from Philadelphia to North Carolina, 
where I loaded two vessels with naval-stores for England. 
From thence I went to Charleston, S.C., and took passage 
in the ship ' Ceres,' Captain AVebl)cr, for Liverpool ; where 
I found that an embargo was laid in the United States, whicli 
was considered prej)aratory to war with England. 

" In June, 1812, I was in the House of Commons, listening 
to the debates of that body ; when it was announced that the 
orders in Council wliich related to the American ships would 
be modified or repealed : tliese onlci-s lioing snp]iosed to lie tlie 



MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 9 

cause of (lifficultv between the two governments. I at once 
commenced purdiasing goods, and, within one month, had goods 
vahied at thirty thousand pounds on the way, or in readiness to 
be ship]icd, to the United States ; when information arrived that 
war had actuallv been declared by the United-States Govern- 
ment. Tliis intelligence caused me much trouble and anxiety. 
In August, I embarked for Boston in the ship 'Koxanna.' 
On my arrival, I found great distress and apprehension among 
the people on account of the war. AVhen I liad closed up my 
importations, and made a settlement of affairs with N. W. and 
C. H. Applcton, I thought myself worth sLxty thousand dol- 
lars. ... I did not attend to any business of importance 
during tlie war." 

In Jumuiry, 1815, ^Ir. Applcton was married to Mary 
Ann Cutler, — a lady whose graces of person were 
equalled l)y the cstiniahlc qualities of her mind and 
heart, and whose Christian faith contributed as much 
to the establishment of her husband's religious character 
as her domestic virtuc^s to the happiness of his home. 

" In the spring of 1815, after peace had been made with 
Great Britain, I laid my plans for future business ; and imme- 
diately commenced the building of the ships ' Telegraph,' 
' Courier,' and ' ]\Iincr\a.' Before they were finished, I was 
attacked with the dys])e])sy, which was attended with great 
prostration of strength, nervous u'ritability, and all sorts of 
unpleasant feelings. I contended with the disease till the 
autumn ; when, in November, I embai'ked for Charleston, where 
I passed the winter, without any impro^•ement in health. The 
succeeding summer was spent in travelling, but brought no 
alleviation of my symptoms : on the contrary, my condition 
was miserable. The irritability increased ; but God knows 
liow great suffering produced it, and how' difffcidt it was to be 
controlled. In the autumn, I sailed with my wife for the 
Mediterranean. We passed the winter in Sicily ; visited Rome. 



10 JfEUOIB OF HOX. WILLIAM APPLETOX. 

Paris, and London; and, towards the close of the year 1817, 
embarked for Charleston. In April following, we returned to 
Boston : m_v health having been much improved during oiu- long 
absence.* This year (^1819) , I went into business with Messrs. 
Paige and Chase. Oxu- copartnership continued for sis years : 
during ivhich I carried on considerable additional business on 
my own accoimt." 

Such is Ms own simple and summary record of a 
commercial career, which, when we take iuto view its 
humble beginnings and his feeble health, ia connection 
with the sagacity and enterprise displayed and the suc- 
cess accomplished, is almost without a parallel. He had 
been in Boston but eighteen years, and was not yet forty 
years old, when he retired from the firm last mentioned ; 
yet, at that period, no man in the town, of his own age, 
had made so much money, and not more than two or 
three were possessed of an equal amount of property. 

Having now released himself from the routine of 
active business, although still retaining an interest in 
commerce and manufactures, 'Mi. Appleton foimd a 
congenial field of duty and enjoyment in the society and 
education of his children. To all the other blessings 
with which Providence had enriched him, was added 
that of a large and interesting family. Few men have 
had stronger domestic affections, and few a more at- 
tractive home in which to cultivate and gratify them. 
Though grateful for all the favors of Heaven, there was 



• A^ a mca5irre of the increase of the v^ -state in Boston, the following 

., — - ; ^ :. .■ ^ „i :-■•_.. -jn ij,^ : -19, 1 parchased from Mr. Xa- 

•n Street, : . ive since lived, tor the snm of 



HEUOIB OF HOX. WIULIAil APPLETOS. 11 

none which he appreciated so highly, or so often thank- 
fully ackno\Yledged, as this. Xot a week, it might 
almost be said, not a day, passed by, during the latter 
half of his life, in which, some kind reference was not 
made in his diary to one or another of his children. 
Every circumstance of the slightest interest connected 
with their condition is recorded. Every sign of progress 
in knowledge or virtue, which displayed itself in either 
of them, is noted with evident delight. Every pleasant 
family gathering at dinner, or in the evening, is regis- 
tered, together with the names of aU who were present. 
Every absence or sickness or sorrow is marked with a 
sj-mpathetic and regretful recognition. 

"NVith the exception of an occasional journey for 
the benefit of his health, and the loss of one of his 
children, who died in infancy, this rare domestic feUcity 
suffered no serious interruption for many years. At 
length, the ine^-itable shadows began to fall, in quick 
succession, upon his home and his heart. In 1836, his 
oldest son 'S'N'iUiam, whose health had been for some 
time dec linin g died at SchafFhausen. in Switzerland. 
Possessed of every quahty which endears a son to a 
father, together with those which give promise of a use- 
ful and honorable life, and are most flattering to parental 
pride, the tidings of his death xmsealed the deepest foun- 
tain of srief. It was the first sxeat aflhction which Mr. 
Appleton had ever experienced, and it touched him in 
the tenderest point. It was the first severe test which 
had ever been applied to his faith ; and. happily, his faith 
was adequate to the trial. The notice of the event in 
his journal, though it betokens his anguish, attests also 



12 MEMOIK OF HON. WILLIAM AI'PLETON. 

his submission. It is so plaintive, that one can hardly 
read it A^ithout a tear ; and yet so de^■out and acquies- 
cent as to excite admii'ation. 

" I had suffered," he writes, " more than can be described, 
after hearing of AVilliam's serious sickness, tUl I heard of the 
closing scene. During the interval, I was so ill as to be con- 
fined to the house. When the sad tidings came, the sliock was 
great. Our friends gave us their sympathy, and did all in their 
power to alleviate our sorrow ; but we found our consolation 
from other than earthly comforters. I now feel that God has 
taken him to liimself. I think of him with the greatest plea- 
sui'e. A thousand incidents in his short life appear to me in the 
most delightfid retrospect. His imperfections have disappeared. 
I can truly say with his uncle, iVIr. Nathan Appleton, who was 
with him in his last hours, ' He had less of earthly dross than 
any one I ever knew.' The recollection of liis pious resignation 
in the approach of death is more valuable to me than anv 
thing in this world. He is gone." * 

One bond which bound him to earth was now broken. 
His heart dutifully accepted the sad but providential 
release, and rose towards heaven. The rupture of other 
strong and beautiful ties helped its higher ascent. Four 
childi-en, all of mature age (two sons and two daughters), 
were successively taken from him. He gave them up, 
one after another, with mcreasing submission to God ; 



• Bein^ in Europe not long after William's death, the writer, who had known him 
in his youth, out of love and respeet to his memory, left his travelling companions 
and his prescribed route to visit his grave in a churchyard at Schatl'hausen. A chaste 
monument had recently been erected to mark the spot, of which we made a sketch at 
the time. With a melancholy satisfaction, after so many years, we embrace this oppor- 
tunity to associate a brief tribute to the son with a memorial of the father. To do so is 
not so much to assume a privilege of alTection as to discharge a biographical duty; for a 
pure and virtuous child is not only an ornament to the memory of his parents, hut an 
attestation of their worth. 



MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 13 

but such repeated bereavements took a deep hold upon 
his heart, and cast a shade of seriousness over his subse- 
quent hfe. 

The death of his second son Amory, which occurred 
in 1848, was the heaviest loss of all, and left the 
deepest impression upon his character. Each of the 
other chilcken is tenderly commemorated in his journal, 
and ample justice rendered to theu' pecidiar endear- 
ments ; but for him he mourns not only as for a son, but 
•a friend. He was, in all respects, after his own heart. 
Amiable in disposition, sound in judgment, as sagacious 
in business as his father, and perhaps more prudent, 
strong in moral principle, and, to crown all, a Christian 
m faith and practice, he had not only secured his father's 
Unlimited confidence, but such an influence over him as 
no other person could exert. 

" I lci\('(l liim," lie says, " most dearly. He was the best 
of sous ; of late years, ray companion, my friend, my adviser. 
We took our daily walks together ; we went to the house of 
God in company ; together we knelt at the altar ; in public 
and in private, we lifted up our supplications in unison to our 
Creator. We were more nearly brought together than most 
fathers and sons. We had entire confidence in each other. 
He would tell me my faults ; and I heard them from him with 
a better spirit than I should from any other. I was proud of 
him. God has taken him. JNIay it humble my pride, and teach 
me to trust to the Savioiu' ! I love to think of his amiable 
manners, of his" kind checks when I spoke too quickly, of his 
truly religious feelings, and all our intimate and pleasant asso- 
ciations in business, in private intercourse and prayer, and in 
public worsliip. His death changed most of my plans of busi- 
ness. It is indeed a sad event to part with such a son ; but it 



14 HEMOm OF HOX. WIIXIAIC APPLETOS. 

is the will of Heaven, and I would not acknowledge myself so 
selfish as to wish him back again to contend with this sinfol 
world." 

TTe learn from this extract, that not the death only of 
his children, but their lives also, exerted an elerating 
influence upon his character. His chief desire Avith 
regard to them was. not that thev should bask in the 
sunshine of prosperity or win the honors of this fleeting 
life, but that they should establish virtuous characters, 
and become children of God through faith in Jesus 
Christ. "VMiile providing for them the advantages of the 
best schools and the best masters, that they might receive 
an education suited to their high social position, it was 
his especial care, in fuQ sympathy with their excellent 
mother, to furnish them at home with Christian nurture 
and admonition. In this highest direction of parental 
duty, his constant and best efforts were exerted ; and 
here also he reaped the richest reward, not only in the 
satisfaction of seeing them gathered into the chiirch on 
earth, and, one after another, going to rest in Christian 
hope, but also in the corresponding increase of his own 
faith, by means of his prayers and labors on their behalf, 
and through sympathv with their spiritual advance. In- 
deed, the period of his deepest Christian experience 
commenced before Amory's death, and was evidently 
connected in part with the influence of his earnest 
piety. 

For many years, !Mr. Appleton had been more or less 
under the sway of those religious principles which were 
instilled into his mind in infancy at the pastors fireside 
in Brookfield. and afterwards dfligentlv fostered bv the 



MEMOIB OF HOX. WILLIAJI APPLETOX. 15 

prayers and counsels of his faithful mother. He had 
been always scrupulously observant of the forms of 
religion, both in pubHc and private ; maintaining daily 
family devotion ; never absenting himself from pubHc 
worship on the sabbath, except from sickness or neces- 
sity" ; and usually attending, in addition, the special and 
occasional services of the Episcopal Church. All along 
through his mature life, there are traces of a powei-ful 
stiniggle going on in his heart between his worldly 
desues and his religious convictions. The former, 
strongly and abundantly supported by a brilliant array 
of allurements, though sometimes earnestly resisted, had 
never been effectually overcome : the latter, re-enforced 
from above, though occasionally baffled, had often re- 
tiuned to the conflict with renovated vigor. Yet the 
issue was still ia suspense. 

At length, in the year 1842, the religious purposes 
and aspirations of many years seem to have been 
proWdentially brought to a head. He devoted him- 
setf in earnest to Christian duties. His charitable 
besto^vments were multiplied. He built St. Stephen's 
Chiuch in this city, at a cost of twenty-five thousand 
dollars, and gave five thousand dollars for a Mission 
Church in China ; besides seeking out other methods 
of dispensing alms, which he seemed to do with a wiU. 
He even took counsel with his son ^Imory as to the pro- 
priet}' of consecrating all his income, beyond his neces- 
sary expenses, to the service of Christ and the Church ; 
and seriously meditated the noble purpose to do so. 
'• The thought of having it in my power," he wrote at 
that period in his diary, "to do something to extend this 



16 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETOX. 

religion, whicli now makes me so liappy even in sick- 
ness and pain ; with such happiness as I could not find 
in health, siuTouuded with gay and pleasant friends, and 
enriched with aU the comforts and luxvuies of life, — the 
thought of havmg it in my power to lead others to be- 
lieve m the cross of Christ fills me with grateful delight. 
May God Almighty strengthen me in well-doing ! " 

Mr. Appleton's character could not be justly por- 
trayed without a reference to this important crisis in his 
religious life. However he may have been regarded by 
the public, and by those who met him occasionally in 
society and in business, the most marked and interesting 
feature of his real, his interior life, was the constant 
struggle to which we have alluded, on the part of the 
religious element, to obtain the ascendency over his 
whole nature ; and that epoch which he himself, and all 
who knew him best, regarded as the most eventful of his 
career, was the period in which he assumed a decisive 
Christian stand. He may not, in all respects and under 
all circumstances, have afterwards manifested the temper 
of a Christian ; he may not have wholly overcome the 
love of the world ; and he certainly did not fully carry 
into execution the disinterested purpose of his best 
hours : but, to admit as much as this, what is it but to 
acknowledge that he was subject to the same infirmities 
which many good men have had occasion to regret in 
themselves, and encountered the same hinderances 
which beset the path of every one who would live a 
godly life 1 

There are few men of business and wealth who 
more justly deserve the name of Christian, — a name 



MEMOIR OF HON. WlhUAil APPLETON. 17 

that we would never incautiously or indiscriminately 
apply. But we cannot call in question the validity 
of his title to that best of human distinctions, when 
we regard his moral purity and integrity ; his regu- 
lar and reverential observance of the outward forms of 
religion ; the number and magnitude of his charitable 
bestowmcuts ; his frequent and liberal contributions 
to the institutions and enterprises of the Church ; his 
unfeigned trust in God, and submission to the divine 
will ; and his habitual endeavors to live in preparation 
for death and immortality. 

The only qualification which has been made with 
reference to Mr. Appleton's claim to be commemorated 
as emphatically a Christian merchant, so far as we are 
aware, is that he was inordinately devoted to the acqui- 
sition of money. The simple fact of his having been a 
zealous and successful man of business and having accu- 
mulated a vast property, may, of itself, be regarded by 
some as a sufficient ground for such abatement. But 
there are other facts and considerations, not so imme- 
diately patent, which justice requires us to place in 
the opposite scale. We cannot doubt — in view of the 
extreme truthfulness for which he was distinguished, 
and which especially characterizes his private records 
— that the real purpose of his life is sincerely revealed 
in sentences like the following, which are found in- 
scribed at intervals in his diary : — 

' ' ily wisli is to make roligiou my first and great object in 
life. ... I feel a deep interest in the cause of missions ; and 
my inclination is to give the bulk of my income to religious ob- 
jects, — not to missionaries only, but to tlie education of mini- 

3 



18 MEMOIR OP HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

stcrs, and the encouragement of all workers for Christ. . . . 
I feel that the true test of the sincerity of a man's religion is 
his desire to impart it to others. . . . Most gladly would 
I increase and multiply my contributions, if I could only find 
objects that I could entirely approve, and be satisfied that 
larger bestowments woidd do good, and not harm. To give 
to individuals does not always benefit them ; and even to give to 
chm-ches sometimes takes from the energy and efforts of their 
members. Oh, may God purify my motives, and bless my gifts ! 
... I have parted with a large fortune ; but I have more 
satisfaction in what is gone than in what is left." 

These are not the utterances of one who makes Mam- 
mon his god. And that they are not mere words, is 
evident from those numerous and sometimes munificent 
deeds of charity to which we have already referred, 
amounting in value to nearly half a million of dollars. 

We do not deny, what he himself frankly admitted, 
that he loved the excitement and enterprise of trade, 
and found a keen satisfaction in success. His tal- 
ents and training, his tastes and habits, peculiarly dis- 
posed and qualified him for a mercantile career. He was 
made for a merchant ; and, as such, it was his instinc- 
tive and laudable aspiration to attain to eminence. He 
could not do this without being diligent in business, 
strict in his accounts, sagacious in his adventures, and 
prudent in his investments. Ho felt that the legitimate 
result, as well as the test and measure, of genius and 
energy in his vocation, is the gainful issue of commercial 
enterprises. Not to make money, would be, in one of 
his profession and with his capacities, a negligent use 
of his " five talents," and a forfeiture of that reputation 
and infiueuce which nature and circumstances had placed 



MEMOIK OP HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 19 

within his reach, and which it was not ignoble to desire. 
It is true, that a course of life in which the exercise 
and improvement of one's talents is thus involved with 
worldly cares, and the pursuit of riches, is accompanied 
with great hazard both to the moral and religious prin- 
ciples ; and very few persons have passed through it with 
a " conscience void of offence towards God and towards 
men." But the course itself is one of those which seem 
to be providentially appointed for men, and the dangers 
are inseparable from it. That it was the path provi- 
dentially marked out for himself, Mr. Appleton never 
doubted. He could not withdraw from it, without 
doing violence alike to his natural inclinations and his 
moral judgment. The sole alternative, therefore, was 
to go forward, and encounter its temptations while dis- 
charging its duties. It was a hard battle, and it closed 
only with his life ; but he " fought a good fight, and 
kept the faith." 

Many instances might be adduced to show that the 
eager prosecution of lucrative enterprises, which was 
one of Mr. Appleton's characteristics even to the last, 
and was by many confounded with an inordinate de- 
sire for money, was attributable, in a great degree, to 
other and more honorable motives. His strong and 
active intellect, stimulated by a nervous temperament, 
continually impelled him to plan and execute large and 
difficult enterprises. 

" I must be busy," he said. " 1 dou't kuow how to stop. 
... I hjve best to do that which is the most difficult. . . . 
Tluit which otliers wouhl not undertake pleases me most. 
... If mv uatural insiiiht enables me to see farther than 



20 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAJI APPLETON. 

most men in certain directions, my nature also compels me to 
make iise of this endowment. ... I can't help seeing 
openings for profit, neither can I lielp availing of them. I 
pray God to keep me from being avaricious, and proud of my 
success ; but I cannot licar the shame of falling below my own 
powers, and being left behind by those who are not my equals." 

In accordance with the spirit and principles expressed 
in such sentences, he wrote as follows, in his cUary, dur- 
ing the last few months of his life, while some of his 
friends were wondering at the interest which he still 
manifested in financial projects : — 

" AYe are going rapidly into a paper currency. Prices of 
all Ivinds of stocks and commodities will materially advance. I 
cannot avoid taking an interest in speculations, and taking ad- 
vantage of the rise which I foresee. I am endeavoring to show 
the younger pai't of the merchants, that an old merchant of 
seventy-five has facidties and energy left. At the same time, I am 
thinking what I shall do with the profits on the pepper and saltpetre. 
I shall give part to the public, and part to destitute friends." 

That such generous intentions were not illusory, the 
writer, if no one else, can bear witness. Mr. Appleton 
once consulted him as to the best mode of permanently 
relieving the necessities of a respectable clergyman, dis- 
tantly connected with him by marriage, and to whom he 
had often generously contributed. It was first proposed 
to raise a sum sufficient for the purpose among a inira- 
ber of wealthy gentlemen to whom the individual in 
question was known. After some delay in selecting the 
persons to bo applied to, and in other arrangements for 
starting the subscription, the writer at length frankly 
expressed his persuasion, that uothmg could be done till 
Ml". Appleton had first signed his own name, together 



MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 21 

with the amoimt that he would give. He paused 
thoughtfully for a few minutes, and then said, " After 
all, why should I trouble you to carry about a subscrip- 
tion-paper ? My income is very large : I must give a 
good deal of it somewhere. The only question with me 
is, where I can bestow it best. What do you think of 
the propriety of my givmg ten thousand dollars to ]\Ir. 

in trust for him and his family ? " The reply did 

not, of course, discourage the generous thought. 

This interv-iew occurred on the day before Christmas. 
The next morning, Mr. Appleton rose at an early hour ; 
and eager, as he always was, to carry his purpose into 
effect, and still more eager, in the nobleness of his 
nature, to brighten the dawn of that Christian festival 
for his poor friend, carried a note to his door with his 
own liand, announcmg " good tidings " which filled his 
heart and his home with joy. 

Mr. Appleton's kindness, however, did not exhaust 
itself in this munificent gift. Having taken hold of the 
case, he could not leave it till it was completely provided 
for. To relieve his friend from certain immediate em- 
barrassments, a further sum was necessary. This was 
easily collected from a small number of benevolent indi- 
A-iduals ; and, m a few days, he had the satisfaction of 
setting a bm-doned heart free from present bondage, 
and securing a whole household against future want.* 



• Since Uie above was written, we have ascertained that Mr. Appleton, shortly 
before his death, actually distributed the prolits of his speculations in pepper and salt- 
petre, amounting to about seventy thousand dollars, in the manner referred to in his 
diary. With his vcri' last breath, he indicated to his family, in scarcely intelligible 
accents, an object to which he desired to appropriate the sum of five thousand dol- 
lars. His request was complied with by his children immediately after his decease. 



22 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

Much of liis devotion to business was in a high 
degree disinterested. Not only did he seek to acquire 
property that he might have it in his power to give 
liberally, both publicly and privately ; but some of the 
most arduous enterprises hi which he engaged Avere to 
manage the perplexed affahs of his friends ; to carry 
them through periods of great financial peril, and to 
save them from ruin. It is not too much to say, that, in 
several well-known mstances of this sort, he did what no 
other man was foimd wilhng to attempt, if, indeed, any 
other would have been able to perform. For such services, 
he received, in many instances, the unbounded gratitude 
and respect of those to whom they were rendered ; and 
will be held, by all who have knowledge of them, in 
honorable remembrance. Referring to tliis subject, an 
intimate friend of Mr. Appleton writes as follows : — 

" Tiiere was one characteristic of his \vhich deserves an 
honorable mention by the side of any others. That was liis 
pertinacity in carrying out whatever beneficent tiling he took 
in hand, at any cost of time or of money. There arc a num- 
ber ot" instances in wliich his social kindness saved the fortunes 
of his friends from wreck, and many more in wliich it relieved 
wants of tlic minutest sort and in tiic most effective way ; show- 
ing a thoughtfulncss and sagacity, and a self-identification 
with the sutt'ering, which was surprising as it was admirable. 
Everybody, therefore, whom he had occasion to aid by any 
personal interest, always entertained for liim a deep and tender 
affection, which of itself is ample voucher for the substantial 
excellence of his chai'actcr." * 

After the dissolution of his partnership with Messrs. 
Paige and Chase in 182G, to which reference has here- 

• Uev. Alexander H. Viutou, D.D., foniKTly Rector of St. Paul's, Boston. 



MEMOIR OF H0\. WILLIAM APPLETON. 23 

tofore been niiidc, Mr. Applcton pursued his business 
alone, occupyiiag a counting-room in State Street, till 
1841 ; when he admitted as partners his son, James 
Amory Appleton, and Mr. (now Hon.) Samuel Hooper, 
under the style of William Appleton and Co. In 1852, 
several years after the death of his son, Messrs. F. G. 
Dexter and John II. Reed were received into the fu-m, 
which always mauitained its high position among the 
commercial-houses, not only of Boston, but of the whole 
comitry. 

The high esteem in which Mr. Appleton was held, 
both for his abilities and experience as a merchant and 
his excellent qualities as a man, often suggested his 
name to his fellow-citizens in connection with important 
offices, which his feeble health and general disinclination 
to public affairs induced him to decline. Had his taste 
and bodily strength allowed him, there is no reason to 
doubt tliat he might have wielded a much wider influ- 
ence, and added in numerous du'ections to his high repu- 
tation. All the offices which he was prevailed upon to 
accept Avere discharged Avitli characteristic energy and 
discretion. 

In 18;]2, he was appointed President of the Boston 
Branch of the Bank of the United States. The conflict 
between the Government and that institution, which 
occurred soon after his election, and the financial crisis 
which ensued, rendered his administration peculiarly 
difficult, and called for the exercise of the utmost pru- 
dence and fu'mncss. He insisted — to use his own 
language — that his own branch should be allowed to 
conduct its affairs on •' fair and independent priuci- 



24 MEMOIR OP HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

pies ; " and, by the aid of an able Board of Directors, 
he succeeded m so managing its concerns, that, while 
the closmg of the parent bank and most of its subordi- 
nates was attended with nmch loss, the books of the 
Boston office showed a favorable balance. 

Mr. Appleton was connected with the management of 
the Massachusetts General Hospital during a quarter of a 
century, and was president of that institution at the time 
of his death. He always manifested a Uvely interest in 
its benevolent piu'poses ; and the distuigvxished success 
which has attended its operations is attributed by its 
trustees in no small measiu-e to his prudent counsels and 
well-dhected munificence. According to their grateful 
testimony, " the fund which he established for the assist- 
ance of the curable insane has abounded in rich fruits ; 
and the buildings bearing his name at Somer\ille, which 
were erected at his suggestion and chiefly by his bounty, 
are honorable monuments both of his sagacity and his 
benevolence." The character and value of the endow- 
ment to which the trustees refer, as well as the motives 
of Mr. Appleton in making it, are well exhibited m the 
subjoined correspondence : — 

"Boston, Jan. 8, 18fi2. 

" My dear Sir, — I send herewith my check lor ten thousand 
dollars, to be .added to the fund I coiniiicnoed many years since, 
to enable such ]>atients, as would otherwise be compelled to leave 
imperfectly <'ure<l, to remain until a thoroujih re-establishment 
of health might be effected. 

"The history of the origin of this fund niay be interesting. 
Many years ago, in my early connection with the asylum 
and with my excellent friend Dr. Ikll, my notice was 
attracted to a motlier and daughter, tiic latter a patient 



MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 25 

much improved in health by her treatment while an inmate 
of the establishment. The mother insisted on her removal ; 
while the doctor expressed the opinion, that, if she left at 
that time, she would be obliged to return in a few weeks, 
while the same length of time spent at the asylum would 
thoroughly cure her. The mother insisted, however, on the 
ground that her own means and those of her friends were 
exiiausted. Siie was peeiuiiarily imable to continue her child's 
residence at the hospital, however desirable, and even neces- 
sary, it might be. The daughter was a delicate person of some 
eighteen or twenty years of age, reluctantly, I thought, yield- 
ing to the necessity her mother had explained. I asked her if 
she woidd like to remain. She said ' she wished to get well, 
but could not stay.' I offered to pay the necessary expense. 
A mingled expression appeared to me to overspread her featm'cs. 
Her eye had a softened look of female delicacy. The desire to 
leave contended with the feeling of duty to remain ; while, over 
all, the fearful look of wavering reason gradually prevailed. 
She remained at the asylum ; and, after a few weeks, returned, 
entirely cured, to her friends ; and, so far as I have been 
informed, was restored to usefulness in her humble vocation. 
For several years, I siipjilied the means to meet such cases as 
tiiey occurred ; until my success in business enabled me to com- 
mence the permanent fund, to which this will be added, and 
which, with the sum given by myself and the other executors 
of ^Ir. Samuel Ajjpleton, now amounts to thirty thousand dol- 
lars. 

" I have watched with interest and pleasure the benefit 
resulting from this appropriation. Would that others would 
sec it as I have done ! Their sympathies would be excited, and 
they would thank God for the ability and opportunity to join 
in so good a work. 

" With nuich respect, )oia-s sincerely, 

" Wm. Appleton. 

'•lliiu. II. I?. RoGEKS, CliainiKui Board of Trustees 
Mass. General Hospital." 

4 



2G MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

"Boston, 11th January, 1862. 
" Hon. WiLLLUi Appleton. 

"De^vr Sir, — In the absence of Mr. Rogers, your interest- 
ing communication of the 8th instant, enclosing a check fur 
ten thousand dollar.s, was presented to the trustees of the Hos- 
pital, yesterday afternoon, by Mr. Stevenson; and the duty, 
and, I will add. the pleasme, of acknowledging it, was assigned 
to me. 

' ' The trustees gratefully accept this i-enewed expression of 
your benevolent interest. They have long been impressed by 
the blessings you have heretofore conferred upon tlie inmates 
of tlie asylvnu. 

" The Appleton Buildings, erected chiefly by your contribu- 
tion of twenty thousand dollars, afford all tlie comforts and 
luxuries of a refined home, greatly increasing the s^alutary influ- 
ences of the institution ; while the Appleton Fund far the 
support of interesting indigent patients, now enlarged to thirty 
thousand dollars, twenty thousand of which you have contri- 
buted, constantly reminds the trustees of your wisdom and 
beneficence. 

' ' The income from this fund is the source from which many 
persons, whose circinnstances were as interesting and as pathetic 
as that to which you refer as suggesting this endowment, have 
been supported through, perhaps, the deepest of all afflictions, 
and restored, wholly or in part, to health, usefulness, and 
peace. Others are now receiving the benefits of this fund, with 
the hopeful prospect of similar residts. For those yet to be 
called upon to bear this discipline, tliis fund will be most faitli- 
fully cherished. 

"The trustees are gratified to o])serve that you 'have 
watched with interest and pleasure tlie benefit rcsidting from 
this appro]>riati()u ; ' njid they most cordially sympathize witii 
you in the earnest wish, ' that olliers woidd see it as you have 
done. Their sympathies would be excited, and they woidd 
thank (iod for the ability and op[)ortiniily to join in so good 
a work." 



MEMOIR OP HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 27 

"You, sir, have the Iia]ii)hiess which arises from tlie will 
and power to relieve the afflicted ; hut there are many made 
both happy and grateful hy the blessings conferred on them 
by your noble contributions. 

" "With great regard, I remain, sir, faithfiUly yours, 

"W. S. BULLARD." 

INIr. Applcton was chosen a member of the INIassachu- 
setts Historical Society, not for any Uterary merit or any 
peculiar interest in historical studies, but as a repre- 
sentative of a class of men, whose eminent practical 
talents and achievements, exemplary integrity, influential 
position, and valuable services to civilization, this Society 
has always recognized. The names of those who, by 
augmenting the materials of a nation's prosperity, have 
helped to furnish and illustrate its history, are justly 
entitled to be enrolled with thcu's who study and record 
it. Especially should there be a place reserved for such 
men in an association like this, when, in addition to the 
claims just referred to, they have contrilnitcd of their 
Avealth and influence to the support of literature and 
art, and earned the honorable title, of patrons of good 
learning. 

In November, 1850, Mr. Appleton was elected a 
representative to Congress from the Suftblk District. 
He had accepted the nomination with diffidence and 
reluctance. It had been pressed upon him by his 
friends, whose estimate of his capabilities for the office 
was far higher than his own. He frankly expressed to 
tlu'ni liis fears that he might disappoint their expecta- 
tions ; and he privately recorded his anxiety as to the 
effect which the cares of jiublic life, and the political 



28 MEMOII! (IK IH)\. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

;uk1 social influences of Washington, might have upon 
his rehgious character. " I dread the thought of being 
drawn to^^ ards the world, and fiu'ther from Ilim to whom 
my sole confidence and my service are due. I doubt 
myself. I put all my trust in God, and pray that he 
will direct and strengthen mc." 

The e^"eut, however, proved the wisdom of those who 
had selected him for this important trust. He discharged 
its duties, during the Congress of 1851-2 and that of 
185 3- -4, with eminent ability. Though his voice was 
never heard in debate, yet he exerted a weighty influ- 
ence, and most successfully ])romotcd the interests of 
those whom he represented. His opinion upon the sub- 
jects with which he was conversant was always regarded 
with deference, and not unfrequently taken as avithority. 
Members of both the great political parties asked his 
advice, assured of obtaining an independent and candid 
judgment ; and even the higher officers of the Govern- 
ment sometimes availed themselves of his prudent coun- 
sels. The Committee of AVays and Means, on which he 
scr^•ed diu'ing the whole period of his Congressional 
life, were greatly indebted to his experience and wisdom, 
and often expressed their high appreciation of his ser- 
vices. No man in Washington occupied a higher social 
position, received and extended a more generous hospi- 
tality, served his constituents more usefully or more 
honorably, or enjoyed a more unsullied reputation. 

]\Ir. A]jpleton was for the; third time chosen to Con- 
gress in 1861 ; having again, in deference to the urgent 
solicitations of his ])ersonal and political friends, Avaived 
his general unwillingness to engage in public life. 



MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 29 

now increased by the precarious state of his health. 
He was just entering his seventy-fom-th year. His 
feeble constitution, which had held out so long and 
endured so many labors only through the force and ani- 
mation of his mdomitable will and by means of a strict 
and ])rudent. regimen, was evidently beginning to give 
way. He contemplated with deep solicitude the gloomy 
aspect of our national affairs, and looked forward ^^-ith 
sad forebodmg to the a^^•l'ld crisis which was impending. 
But he would not shrink from the post of duty to which 
the suffrages of his fellow-citizens had called him in this 
time of trial. Whatever strength remamed to him ; 
whate\-er Avisdom or moderation or conciliatory mflu- 
cnrc he miglit be able to contribute, — he woidd not 
Avithhold from the service of his country. 

" If I live," he writes, "and liave sufficient strcngtli, I 
sliall meet my responsihilities : l)ut I feel them deeply, as I am 
old and weaic. I am adnionisluMl tliat my days are numbered, 
and few. AVlien I view the jjresent state of this eoimtry, — 
but yesterday, enjoying greater privileges than any nation of 
aneient or modern times ; to-day, apparently about to abandon 
those institutions that have raised us, since I was born, from a 
poor and feeble people of three or four millions to a vigorous 
and miglity nation of thirty, and to an equal rank with the 
leading powers of the world ; insanely al)()nt to throw oiu'selves 
into cliaos, -without any real cause, — 1 am dismayed. We 
must feel that (lod is displeased with us ; that our sins are such 
as to bring upon us sudden and severe chastisement. We say, 
continually, ' God rides the world : ' I see nothing now that 
can save us from what woidd appear to be the greatest calamity 
that could befall our country, except Ilis power to overrule the 
Avills and passions of selfish and wicked men. God preserve 

lis f " 



30 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

He went to Washington with a hea\'y heart, but with 
a high and rcsohitc purpose. His intmiate ae(|uaint- 
ance with some of the best finnilies of the South, whose 
kind attentions had been lavished upon him durmg his 
frequent visits as an mvahd to Charleston, and whose 
hospitality he had often reciprocated, had established 
towards them a strong attachment and sympathy. But 
no personal friendship could ckaw him aside from his 
supreme obligation to his country. The oath by which 
he had bound himself to defend the Constitution had 
been taken with his whole heart. He loved the Union 
with uitense affection. Every sectional prejudice, whe- 
ther of a Nortlicrn or a Southern leaning, his loyal miiid 
had always rejected. He not only opposed, with all his 
ability, every measure and every word which tended to 
division, but sought to allay even the spirit of alienation. 
So long as there was any hope left of avoiduig an open 
rupture, he neglected no legitimate means within his 
reach to prevent it. But, when the crisis came, he did 
not hesitate as to his duty. The very same principles of 
pure patriotism which had prompted his endcaAors to 
preserve the Union from bemg severed, now moved liim 
as heartily to sustam the Government, as the only means 
of restoring it ; or, if a restoration should be impossible, 
as the only barrier and safeguard against utter national 
rum. Havmg adopted this Avise policy, he acted upon 
it with his accustomed energy and consistency. He gave 
liis voice and his money for the vigorous prosecution of 
the Avar. Repugnant as it was to his feelings as a 
])atriot and a humane and Christian man, he felt tliat 
it had been forced upon the Gioveniment ; tliat it liad 



MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 31 

become a dire necessity ; and that to carry it on energe- 
tically to a succcssfid issue was not only the dictate of 
patriotism, but even of humanity. 

Mr. Applcton remained in Washington dming the 
summer session of 1861, till the close of July, when his 
faihng health compelled him to return to Boston. He 
hoped, at fii-st, that, after a temporary rest, he might be 
able to resume his seat m Congress ; but the ad\ice of 
his phjsicians and his rapidly increasmg debility com- 
pelled him to resign it. The last dajs of his public 
service were spent in diligent attendance upon the meet- 
ings of the Committee of Ways and INIeans, who thcni 
had under consideration several measures particularly 
affecting the mercantile interests of his constituents. 
His own simple record of these closing labors will give 
the best impression, not only of their value, but of their 
extraordinary persistency : — 

"July 14. — Went this morning to j\Ir. Stevens, Chairman 
of the Conunittec of Ways and IVIeans, to obtain liis consent 
to teleg'rapli to Boston and New York that there was no cause 
of ahirm as to their goods in the bonded warehouse. While 
at (lie telegraph-ofBce, received a telegram announcing the death 
<>(■ niv h)ng-h)vcd friend, Mr. Nathan Appleton. I had said 
that 1 would return to Boston on his decease ; but I was told, 
and believed, that I could not do so without neglecting lu'gent 
duties in this place. ]\Iy dut)^ was evidently here. A bill for 
raising revenue was before the Committee of Ways and ]\Ieans. 
No other merchant was on the committee. I remained, and 
secured for oiu' shipping-merchants much advantage as to the 
time when the duties should take cfT'eet, and on the warehouse- 
goods. 1 feared, if I left, the bill might be changed in the 
House or Senate. I will not speak of the virtues of my dear 
departed fiit'n<l. His character will be fully portrayed by 
others. Creat purity ot heart he possessed. 



32 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

" Jiily 15. — At Committee and House till five o'clock. 

" 16. — "VYent to Committee at ten o'clock, and then to the 
House. 

"17. — Very busy with tariff-bill. Went to the Treasurer 
in relation to liis project as to wines and spirits. He said they 
had but imperfect information. Quite satisfied with the view 
of the Committee whom I represented. 

" 18. — Bill for increasing revenue passed the House. Went 
to see the Massachusetts troojjs. 

" 19. — At Committee and House. Mucli excitement as to 
our troops in Virginia. 

" 20. — House not in session. At Committee." 



He was confined to his room by sickness on the 21st, 
22d, and 23d. 

" July 24. — Went to the House and Committee. 

" 25. — Went to Committee. 

" 26. — Went to Committee. 

"27. — Quite ill. My physician told me to go home to 
the Noi'th as soon as possible. 

" 28. — Not well. Low spirits. 

" 29. — Went to Committee. Called on the President. 

"30. — Quite feeble. Went to the Committee-room. Found 
all present. Stated to them that I found that my health was 
failing; and asked them, if, in their ojiinion, tliere remained 
any thing to be done for my constituents that would justify my 
remaining in Washington at the risk of my life. Mr. Stevens 
was kind enough to compliment me for my usefulness, and said 
that the work was done : as to the tariff, a Committee of Con- 
ference woidd do all that was now re((uired ; that he believed 
our bill woidd be sustained. They all took me by the hand, 
and said they hoped I woidd return again in December, &c. , 
&c. I was most kindly treated and taken leave of by the Com- 
mittee ; in fact, bv all." 



MICMOIH OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETOX. 33 

Such was the enviable close of his Congressional 
career and his public life. That little scene ill the Com- 
mittee-room, which he has so briefly and modestly 
described, but which others who witnessed it have 
jjortiaycd m warmer colors, and that more general and 
miscellaneous leave-taking to which he refers as having 
been, without exception, kindly, are beautiful and touch- 
ing tributes alike to the vahie of his services, the purity 
of his character, the weight of his influence, and the 
warmth of his heart. None siu-ely but a most unselfish 
and upright man could have retu-ed thus from the halls 
of Congress, and all the associations of the Capitol, 
without one bitter reflection, one pang of wounded 
vanity or disa])i)oiiited ambition, one regret for words 
spoken, deeds done or duties neglected, one remembrance 
of injuries inflicted ov sufl"ered ; with no other feeling 
in his heart than a tender sense of the universal kind- 
ness of others, and a sweet consciousness of his oviTi 
niuiualified good-will towards all. 

He came back to Boston exhausted and enfeebled, 
not to prepare for death, — for that reasonable and re- 
ligious dutv had not been deferred to the uncertainties of 
the last hour. — l)ut calmly to await it. For many 
years, admonished by his delicate health, it had been 
his endeavor " to set his house in order," and to keep it 
so. At several periods, he had supposed the end to be 
at hand ; and, at each of them, he had contemplated the 
event vpith the faith and composiu-e of a Christian. His 
worldly aff"airs were always so honestly managed, and so 
prudently arranged, as to give him no anxiety in antici- 
pation of Ids departur(\ His feelings towards his fel- 



34 MEMOIR OF IIOX. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

low-men, if hi any instance tlisturbed timing the day, 
were habitnally pacified before the night. The only 
point m which he felt the need of a more perfect j>re- 
paration was in regard to his spuitual aptitnde for 
heaven; and for the fnll remedy of this insufficiency, 
inseparable from human imperfection, he earnestly be- 
sought the grace of God, and humbly relied upon the 
merits and intercession of the Redeemer. 

He came home to await death ; but not in supineness 
and seclusion. While he had strength to bear his 
armor, it was against his natui'e and his principle to la) 
it down. So long as his faculties were undimmed, he 
would keep them occupied. Until he must take his final 
leave of his friends, he felt it to be right to serve and 
enjoy them. 

Day by day, his bodily strength failed ; but there was 
no faltering of his spirit, and no decay of his heart. He 
kept at work, bravely and cheerfully, till God's time 
came for his labors to cease. Then, without reluctance, 
he dropped the instruments of his earthly service, 
meekly laid himself doAvn, folded his hands upon his 
breast, fixed all his thoughts upon the crucified Saviour, 
and fell asleep.* 

The forcgomg cursory sketch of IVIr. Appleton's life 
has brought into view some of his peculiar traits ; but 
as they have come uito notice with no regard to arrange- 
ment, and only in connection with the incidents which 
suggested them, they have necessarily been presented in 
a partial and fragmentary manner. Justice to his own 



» Ilf (liL'd al I.onsjwniHl, iioav lioston, SatimUiy, Vvh. 15, 1RG2. 



MKMlllii OF IKtX. WILLIAM APPLETOX. 35 

distinguished merits, as well as fidelity to the duty which 
this Society has laid upon us, roquu'e not only a more 
detailed recognition of his prominent featm-es, but an 
attempt to group them, as far as possible, into a life-like 
image of the man: 

All his quahties were so positive, and so honestly and 
independently exercised, that no one who was acquainted 
with liis character AvoiUd find any ditRcidty in analyzing 
it. Indeed, to a degree which is seldom equalled, his 
character had moulded and stamped itself upon his form. 
His whole person was smgularly expressive ; it is not 
extravagant to say, wijjressive. His capacious forehead 
betokened a powerful and thoughtful intellect, quick to 
apprehend, sagacious to analyze, comprehensive to com- 
bine, and weighty to infiucnce. His large and fine eye, 
so bright and keen in pursuit and scrutmy, so deep and 
often sad in repose, so soft and pleasant in friendly con- 
versation and sympathetic moods, was but a truthful in- 
dex to his thoughts, — now so intense and penetratmg, 
then so serious and sch-iu'raigning, and again so genial 
and kkid. His pale face, sunken cheeks, and emaciated 
form, in connection with his quick motions, his impatient 
gestures, his decided and sometimes abrupt mamier, and 
his concise, conclusive style, gave evidence of that fervid 
spmt and imperious will which tasked the delicate or- 
g-anization A\ith which they were so unequally allied. 
With no statelincss nor peculiar grace, he was nivested 
Avith ail air of dignity and refinement which can only 
emanate from a piue and noble soul. His presence was 
felt in every company as none cim be but that of the 
most individual and uotcutial characters. His mfiueuce 



36 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM ArrLKTOX. 

was such as belongs only to those who are born to con- 
trol. He bore the geuiime credentials of a royal natiu-c. 
He had the mstmct and the look of authority, — the eye 
and the lip of command ; and, better than all, he wore 
the imperial signet of truth, and the princely robe of 
integrity. In any station, he Avonld have made his mark ; 
m any path, he would have risen to distmction. No 
measure of success could relax his energy, and no 
amount of difficulty discourage his exertions. Facilities 
and obstacles Avere alike incentives. "WTiatever sagacity 
could devise, courage adventure, or persistency achieve, 
he was sui-e to accomplish. 

And yet, with all his independence, his quickness of 
temper, his pertinacity of wUl, and his peremjitoriness 
of manner, there Avere combined tender affections, gene- 
rous sympathies, liberal sentiments, and a kind and for- 
giving disposition. Though habitually u-ritable, he was 
never Aandictive. No residue of resentment outlasted 
the hasty utterance. If his tongue had inadvertently 
inflicted a sudden pang, his hand was instantly ready to 
relieve it. In the long record of forty years of his life, 
which is before us, Avith all its allusions to the numerous 
individuals with whom he had been brought mto contact 
in social, commercial, and political intercourse, there is 
positively not one uncharitable Avord, nor even so much 
as a single unkind insmuation. If there are any re- 
proaches, they are Adsited upon himself. He never dis- 
paraged others, but stroAe to keep his oavu heart 
humble. While earnestly aspiring after tlie ];ighest 
honors and reAvards Avhicli nature or circumstances led 
him to pursue, he neA'er sought to raise himself by pull- 



JfEMOIR OF IIOX. WILLIAM APPLETON. 37 

iiig another down. He kept bis heart above mean rival- 
ries, and lie spurned the tricks of ambition. He would 
deserve honor, not beg for it ; and secure success by 
merit, not l)y intrigue. AU the prizes which he obtained, 
of wealth, of mercantile reputation, of social rank, of 
personal respect and public distmction, he lawfully pur- 
sued and fau'ly won. Nor, when they were attained, 
were they selfishly enjoyed or arrogantly paraded ; but 
his heart expanded with his gains, and his private and 
public ser\ices were multiplied with his honors. 

But, while diligently pm-sumg, and obtaining, these 
earthly treasures, his heart was never turned away from 
the heavenly. While reaping in amjile measure the 
golden harvest of his temporal labors, he never ceased 
to " have respect unto the recompense of reward." The 
best part of liis life, and the most praiseworthy of his 
attainments, were only partially seen of men. They 
recognized, indeed, the purity of his conversation and 
conduct, his scrupulous fidelity to his engagements, his 
l)enevolence, his reverence for thuigs sacred, his punc- 
tual observance of the forms of religion, and some of the 
more costly oficrings which he dedicated to Christ and 
the Church ; but there were holier and loveher thmgs, 
of which all those conveyed bvit a partial idea, hidden 
behind the veil. Having Lifted that veil, so far as his 
diary enables us, with a reverent hand, we have caught 
glimpses of a secret life, which casts all those outward 
works and virtues into the shade. We have seen the 
manifestations of a strong religious faith, a childlike sub- 
mission, a lively gratitude, a deep humility, a daily hun- 
ger and thirst after righteousness, a constant warfare 



38 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

with the flesh and the world, — ti'aces of a profound 
Chiistian experience, a contiaual growth ia grace, and a 
gradual ripening of the character for heaven. 

We have no misgivings in holding up such a life be- 
fore the young men of New England, as worthy of honor 
and emulation. In the lengthening roll of those pruiccly 
merchants whose unsullied integrity has established the 
commercial credit of Boston, whose mimificence has 
endowed its institutions of learning, charity, and rehgion, 
and whose honorable hves have been among its noblest 
ornaments, the name of William Applcton, in \iew of 
the various quahtics which exalt his vocation, illustrate 
the benefactor, approve the Christian, and dignify the 
man, though it may not be entitled to pre-eminence, de- 
serves no second place. 



A P V K N D I X. 



APPENDIX. 



The following letter from one whose intimate acqviaint- 
anre Avith Mr. Applcton, as well as his practised and 
graceful pen, give authority to his words, is a memoir in 
itself: — 

"PniLADELnilA, January, 1863. 

" Rev. and dear Sir, 

" Your request, that I should furnish 3011 with a few remi- 
niscences of my dear friend William Appleton, has Iain too long 
imanswcrcd. You have about you those who have seen him 
more intimately in his walk as a Christian, a citizen, and a man 
of business ; and I can hardly hope to add any thing to their 
contributions. Yet I gladly pay a slight tribute to one whom I 
had strong reason to love and honor, and who may well be held 
up before the yoiuig as an example. 

"I first knew Mr. Ai)pleton in the early part of the year 
1826 ; and, from that time to the day of his death, I saw him as 
frequently and familiarly as often hapjjens to men engaged in 
different pursuits, and living most of the time remote from each 
other. During five years, at the beginning of our acquaint- 
ance, it was my privilege to minister to him in holy things, and 
I was then his near neighbor and friend. The intimacy then 
formed has continued with unabated cordialit}-, and I have at 
times been an inmate of his family for several weeks. As I 
stood, in February last, over his cold remains, my memory 
reproduced most vividly the first occasion on which I saw him, 
and tlic impression which the interview of a few hours made 
upim me. His emaciated figure and pale face, his ample forc- 

6 



42 MEMOIR OF nO\. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

head, anil eye beaming witli kindness, his quick and decided 
motions, and his spare and somewhat liesitating spcecli, all ti)ld 
of broken health, of an active and shrewd mind, of a strong 
but mastered will, of a genial and most benevolent heart. It 
seemed evident, at once, that he was a man of action rather 
than of words ; and one avIio, without claiming or even desiring 
it, would naturally take a large share in the direction of any 
affairs with which he had more immediate connection. Such he 
lias appeared to me ever since. Of his course in business, I 
knew little. When he came to his home, the schemes and cares 
of the countinar-room seemed to be laid aside. He "rave him- 
self to his guests, his friends, and, above all, to his family. 
Whatever would promote their liappiness or welfare, formed, 
unconsciously, his great care. All neighborly acts, such as 
most men and especially men of feeble health and in his situa- 
tion of life, woidd scarcely have thought of, were his delight. 
They were performed so constantly, and with such apparent 
ease and self-forgetfulness, that you hardly rememliered that 
they were favors. Pie enjoyed conversation greatly, though 
not taking a large share in it. His range of information was 
not great ; but his judgment always struck me as singularly 
correct. There was, on practical questions, a quickness and 
precision which seemed intuitive, and usually a great absence 
of prejudice and passion. At one time, I had frequent occasion 
to consult him ; and, though it was on subjects foreign fi-om his 
accustomed cares and pursuits, his opinions were eminently 
jn(li<'Ious. 

" You ask me more particularly in regard to his religious 
history. I am sorry that on this point I cannot gi\e informa- 
tion that is very full or definite. ^Vlicn I was his pastor, he did 
not profess to be a decidedly Christian man. He had been 
faithfully instructed by godly parents ; and for his mother, who 
survived, he cherished a profound reverence. But the cares of 
the world aii<l the blandishments of society had insensibly shaken 
his faith in some of those principles of Christianity which 
foinned the stay and solace of his later years, as they had been 
the staj)le of his earlier teachings. His mind, wlicn I first knew 



APPENDIX. 43 

him, seemed to yearn for tlic support aiul satisfixction of a elcarcr 
and stronger faith in spiritual realities, but to recoil from tlic 
eifort and the sacrifices by which it was to be won. The 
charms of things seen were in evident conflict in his mind with 
tilings unseen ; and liis intense devotion to business, combined 
witli liis deference for those about him, gave advantage to 
the former. At times, lie rebelled against exhibitions of what 
I regarded as truth; and I recollect, with deep interest, long 
conversations which on such occasions I have had with him. 
His acuteness and strong sense were sometimes more than a 
match for my ci'ude thoughts ; and I have always felt that the 
scrutiny to which his active mind subjected my preacliiug at 
this time, "when I M^as just beginning my ministry, was no 
small service to me. His questionings were always kind and 
respectfid : they evinced a mind searching for truth ; though it 
was sometimes quite obvious that it was more for the satisfac- 
tion of a specidative curiosity than for the instruction and edifi- 
cation of his moral nature. At others, his whole soul seemed 
to brood over the great problems of our higher life ; and I 
thought, that, during the few years he was my parishioner, 
there was evident progress in the depth and active power of liis 
religious convictions. I left Boston in the year 1831. Not 
long after, severe doincstic bereavements, the faithful preacliing 
of my successor, and his deep sense of responsibility as a 
parent, aU contributed to fix his purpose for life ; and he 
became an avowed follower of his Lord. 

" I ought to add, that he was, from the beginning, a most 
liberal supporter of the church (St. Paul's) which he attended. 
AVlien I took charge of it, it was burdened with heavy debts. 
Though at that time he kept no carriage, and indulged in few 
unnecessary expenses, he boldly assumed the principal burden ; 
and it was mainly through his generosity and decision that the 
parish was carried through a very serious crisis. His hand was, 
at that time, always open to any good call that was made upon 
his sympathy or public spirit. 1 can bear most grateful testi- 
mony to the considerate and delicate kindness with wliich he 
always treated his pastor and his pastor's family. 



■44 MEMOIR OP HON. WILLIAM Al'PLETOX. 

" During all the years that I knew him, he exliibited au 
admirable self-mastery. A great dyspeptic, with a morbid 
appetite, he was inexorable to all the temptations of the table. 
With intense native energy, and great fondness for the hazards 
and successes of trade, he seemed, on system, to restrain 
himself from becoming entirely engrossed and enslaved. A 
father, sorely afflicted and bereaved, he never betrayed impa- 
tience. When, not many years since, one of the heaviest 
domestic calamities seemed impending, and after he had re- 
ceived one crushing blow after another, he said to me at an 
accidental meeting, ' Tliis seems the knell of my eartlily hopes. 
The past has been bitter ; this exceeds in bitterness. But, much 
as I lia\e suffered, I feel that I have needed it all ; and, iu my 
prayers to my heavenly Father, my first request is, " Thy will 
be done." If more chastening be necessary to subdue my 
pride, to humble my self-will, to cure my devotion to things 
eartldy, let it come. Ilim who hath borne such agonies for my 
sake, and who loves me with a love passing all human affection, 
I can trust. Not my will, but his.' 

" It is said, that, as he gi-ew old, he did not escape entirely 
that ^^•hich has been called ' the vice of old age.' It has also 
been intimated, that his religious sensibilities had been somewhat 
dulled in his later years by contact with political life. Of this 
I cannot speak with any confidence, not having met him as 
frecpicntly or as intimately as before. I can only say, that, so 
fiir as I did see or know him through all his advancing age, he 
seemed to me an earnest, godly man ; fighting — as who of us 
does not? — I)ut figliting vidianfly and prayerfully against ' the 
world, the flcsli, and the devil.' 

"It is now the first day of a new year (1803). Thirty- 
seven years ha\e nearly passed since first I saw liim. Dui-ing 
all that time, AVilliam Appleton has seemed to me a rare man. 
As a neighbor and friend, as a citizen and merchant, as a father 
and husband, lie was one of Nature's noblemen. As he ad- 
vanced in lili', lie was enriched and endowed by grace, and 
became a fountain of tcm[)oral and sjiiritual blessings to many, 
near and far oil'. I have seen him (how often !) at his board, 



Al'l'ENDIX. 45 

surrounded by his large and lonely family, radiant with happi- 
ness, gi\ing and receiving notliing but joy. I have seen his 
childi'en growing up, and then cut down, one after another, 
when siu'roimded by the brightest and gayest hopes. Ilis ad- 
niiral)le wife — so full of all amenities, and so abundant in 
works of kindness — I have seen succumbing under the weight 
of one domestic sorrow after another, and finally resigning her- 
self to death. Himself I have seen, — left alone in the house 
that for more than forty-fi\e years had been his cherished home, 
broken in health, burdened with the weight of more than three- 
score years and ten. I have heard of him, with mind 
imclouded and spirit serene, making all his preparations delibe- 
rately for his last hour, and entering the dark valley ^^ itli hum- 
ble but imfaltering trust in his Almighty Redeemer. Could 
more have been wished for him ? ' Blessed are the dead who 
(lie in the Lord. Even so, saitli the Sjjirit ; for they rest from 
tlieir labors, and their works do follow them.' 
" I am, dear sir, yours very truly, 

"Alonzo Pottkr. 

" Rev. CUANDLEU ROBBINS, D.D." 



PUBLIC MEETING OF THE CITIZEXS OF BOSTON, IN RESPECT 
TO THE MEMORY OF WILLIAM APPLETON. 

A very full meeting of our citizens was held iu the 
Merchants' Exchange Reading Room, at half-past ten 
o'clock, Tuesday, Feb. 18, to testify their respect for the 
late Hon. William Appleton. The meeting was called 
to order by Israel Whitney, Esq. He offered the fol- 
lowing list of officers, which was accepted : President, 
Edward S. Tobey; Vice-Presidents, James M. Beebe, 
John L. Gardner ; Secretaries, William Perkins, James 
Lawrence. 



4G MEMOIR UF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

The folloAviug report is taken from the " Daily Ad- 
vertiser : " — 

Mr. TOBEY, on taking the chair, aihlresscd the meeting as 
follows : — 

Fellow-Citizen's, — We are assembled oq tliis solemu occasiou 
to manifest in some appropriate manner our respect for the character 
of our esteemed and deeply-lamented fellow-citizen, the lion. William 
Appleton, who died at Longwood on Saturday morning last. 

This mournful event has brought together statesmen, merchants, 
and citizens of various professions, to mingle their sentiments of 
regard, so justly due to the worthy character and eminent distinction 
of our deceased friend and associate. His long and successful career 
as one of the most prominent merchants of this city has given to his 
name a world-wide reputation as a representative of rare commercial 
ability, sound judgment, and honorable enterprise. Amidst all the 
vicissitudes of the mercantile profession, and the severe ordeal to 
which all engaged in it must unavoidably be subjected, none have 
sustained a reputation more exempt from dishonor, or from the mis- 
apprehensions incident to the various and complex relations of an 
extensive and long business experience, than has Mr. Appleton. It 
is therefore eminently fit that we should pause in the hurried and 
pressing duties of the hour, and turn aside to pay a spontaneous 
tribute of respect to the memory and worth of an honorable mer- 
chant, a conservative patriot, an exemplary citizen, who, during a 
long life of active industry and practical usefulness, has contributed 
largely to the prosperity and moral and religious welfare of this city 
aud of this country. With his mental powers undimmcd almost to 
the last hours of lile, we may say, in the expressive language of 
another, " lie seems to us noto, as in truth he is, not extinguished, 
or ceasing to be, but only withdrawn ; as the clear sun goes down at 
his setting, not darkened, but only no longer seen." 

But I am admonished by the presence of his distinguished con- 
temporaries and friends, who have Ijoen permitted to enjoy a more 
iuliniatc social inlei-coursc, that it is not for me to present at length 
the merits of either the private or public character of our deceased 
friend. That duty ap|)ropriately devolves on others. I shall, how- 
ever, regard it a privilege, both individually and in behalf of the 
mercantile body 1 represent, to concur in any measures that may be 



APPENDIX. 47 

proposed In testimony to his eminent worth, or in rcmombrancc of 
his jnany virtues. 

Charles G. Lohixg, Esq., offered a series of resolutions, 
^\•itll tlie folUnving remarks: — 

Mr. C'liAiRJiAX, — The distinguished citizen, in reference to whose 
decease tiiis meeting has been called, having passed from tliis scene 
of earthly labor, in wliich he tilled a sphere of pre-eminent useful- 
ness and influence, it becomes those who shared in his toils, and 
enjoyed and suffered with him in the alternations of mercantile 
prosperity and adversity ; who reaped the benefits of his ability, 
wisdom, and experience, in the management of private and public 
affairs, and were aided by his efficient intervention and counsels, — 
to pause, though it be for a moment only, to pay a passing tribute of 
respect and grateful recollection to his memory ; and to lay, however 
transitorily, to heart the lesson of mortality which the departure of 
one of such wealth, position, wide-spread influence, religions and 
moral principle, and means of social and domestic enjoyment, — 
combining all that seems to make earthly life desirable, — so emi- 
nently illustrates. 

Mr. Appleton was, by nature, education, and habit, eminently 
(lualified for the vocation in which he passed his life ; and in which 
he had few, if any, superiors in ability, reputation, or success. 
Combining remarkable powers of perception and analysis, his ap- 
prehension of the subject presented, in all its most important 
relations, was so instantaneous as to seem intuition rather than 
judgment. His decision often preceded half the statements of the 
case ; so clear and accurate was his mental eye in discerning 
the prominent points upon which it should turn, without reference 
to the surroundings which distracted or absorbed the attention of 
less comprehensive or quick-sighted minds. Nor was his resolution 
less prompt and effective than the rapidity of his apprehension. 
Having once ascertained the material relations of the matter in 
hand, and satisfied himself of their reality, his decision was imme- 
diate ; and action followed, with no faltering step, on judgment. 

In reputation for foresight, sagacity, and comprehension in finan- 
cial and mercantile aflairs, he held a position to which few in our 
community have ever attained ; and exerted a corresponding iufiu- 
ence, not confined to the city or state in which he lived, but which 
extended to tlio great metrnpnlls of the country, and at tlirec ditferent 



48 MEMOin fiF IIOX. WIIJ.lAir appletox. 

periods illuminated and iuiiueuced the councils of the nation. Of 
this power, he fully enjoyed the consciousness ; but never perverted 
it to the advancement of his own interest, in contravention of his 
duty to others or to the public. 

His wider range of information, superior foresight, and peculiar 
faculty of comprehensive combiuation, often gave to him great ad- 
vantage in mercantile negotiation, but never tempted him to dis- 
honesty or disingenuousness ; and cases not infrequently occurred, 
where consciousness of the effect of such superiority, in favorable 
results to himself, led to a subse(iuent modification of the contract, 
or other indemnity, to tiie other party. He was a merchant in the 
highest sense of the word ; acting upon the true principles of his 
occupation, scrupulous in fulfilling fairly his part of the agreement, 
and exacting an equally strict performance of it on the other ; leav- 
ing the consequences, if not conformable to his subsequent sense of 
equity, or if appealing to his generosity, to be adjusted under their 
])roper influences. INIr. Appleton was not a man of comprehensive 
attainment beyond the limits of his vocation : he had. however, the 
capacity to enjoy the science and learning of others in public exhibi- 
tions of them or in the social circle ; and few knew better how to 
distinguish between reality and pretension, or to appreciate the 
sources of those, wlio, in other dcpaitments, evinced the superiority 
of which he was conscious in his own. 

In private life, the deceased illustrated the guidance and contnd 
of combined religious princiide and emotion. Fervent in faith, and 
desirous to extend its benign Influences, he contributed very largely 
to religious institutions and purposes ; and was, more than most men 
equally devoted to atfairs, accustomed to religious reading and con- 
versation. As a husband, father, relative, and friend, bis kindness 
and generosity were without stint or limit ; while he evinced in 
mnuberless ways, often unknown to the recipients of his bounty, his 
full apprehension of tlie Christian answer to the question, " Who is 
my neighbor?" All liough often abrupt, and sometimes having the 
appearance of unkindness (a manner the probable result of years of 
sutt'ering imder a form of disease vitally afi'ecting the nervous system), 
those who knew hi in most intimately, and were most conversant with 
his daily walks, bear testimony that he had beneath a heart full of 
tenderness to his friends, and all whose welfare or happiness he could 
promote ; that he Io\ed to visit the widow and the fatherless, and 
cheer, liy liis friendly attentions ;ind kind ollices, those who liad seen 



APPENDIX. 49 

better days ; and that their Immhh^ dwellings were not infrequently 
the scenes of his soothing sympathy and considerate aid. Nor were 
the more conspicuous objects of public charity forgotten or disre- 
garded, as his repeated and liberal contributions to the M'Lean 
Asylum and other institutions bear witness. 

In the discharge of his duties at Washington, he was eminently 
faithful and attentive ; and though not participating much, if ever, 
in debate, he was most assiduous in the more arduous and important 
duties of the committee-room, and exercised a very great and widely 
spread influence upon public men and measures. This influence, 
heightened by a genial and liberal hospitality and the profound 
respect entertained for his abilities and fidelity, gathered for him 
troops of friends in all parts of the country. 

And when his long, successful, and most useful life was drawing 
to a close, conscious of the near approach of his last hour on earth, 
no fear or painful apprehension obscured his mind, or weakened iiis 
faith that the dark valley into which he had entered terminated at 
the gate of a higher and holier state of being. In view, sir, of the 
character and services of sucli a fellow-citizen, for whose memory we 
are here assembled to pay the last tribute of respect, I offer the fol- 
lowing resolutions for the considi'ration of the meeting: — 

RESOLUTIONS. 

Eesolved, Tiuit, iu the decease of Hon. William Appleton, the 
mercantile community has sustained the loss of one of its most 
eminent, useful, and influential members, whose example eminently 
illustrated the effects of faithful devotion to the principles of industry 
and fidelity which characterize the true merchant, and which has 
greatly contributed to the confidence and respect with which that 
profession is regarded throughout the city and the Commonwealth. 

Bcsolved, That his services in the national councils, and the wis- 
dom, kindness, and efficiency with which he aided others and the 
public in exigencies of commercial embarrassment and in the ad- 
ministration of the financial aft'airs of the community, should ever be 
held in honored and grateful remembrance. 

Resolved, That, in his departure, the public has lost a distin- 
guished benefactor, the poor a kind-hearted almoner of the wealth 
committed to his trust, and religion and charity a beneficent friend. 

Resolved, That we sympathize with the family and relatives of 
the deceased in the death of one so justly and extensively beloved 

7 



50 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

aud revered, and who so emiuciitly cxliibited the virtues aud graces 
of social and domestic life and the influences of Christian benevo- 
lence ; and that the Chairman be requested to transmit to them a 
copy of these resolutions, in token of our respect for his memory, 
aud of our condolence in tlieir bereavement. 

Samuel T. Dana, Esq., moved tlie following resolution, 
which was adopted : — 

Resolved, Tluit the proceedings of tliis meeting be published in 
the daily papers, and that the secretary be requested to transmit a 
copy of the same to the family of the deceased ; and that, Avhcu this 
meeting shall adjourn, it adjourn to meet at St. I'aul's C'luirch, at 
twelve o'clock this noon, to attend the obsequies of the deceased. 

Tlie resolutions were seconded by Hon. Egbert C. Win- 
THROP, who spoke as follows : • — 

In the absence of Mr. Everett, wlio, to his own regret not less 
than to the regret of us all, is prevented by severe indisposition from 
being with us this morning, I am here, my friends, at short notice, 
and with less preparation than I could have desired for such a ser- 
vice, to second the resolutions which have just been read, aud to pay 
my humble tribute to the memory of the excellent man whose loss 
will be so deeply felt in this community. 

I shall attempt no elaborate eulogy. He does not necil it. lie 
would not have desired it. He was not a man of many ^\oi'ds liim- 
self ; aud, in view of what has already been so well said by others, 1 
may be pardoned for summing up his character, his services, and his 
claims upon our respect aud gratitude, with something of tlie same 
directness and brevity whicli would iiave characterized any similar 
tribute of his owu. 

Our lamented frieud was a person of many marked peculiarities, 
both physical and mental. No one, I think, could have observed his 
slender form aud sunken cheek, at any time within a half-century 
past, without wondering how he had escajied an early doom ; or cer- 
tainly without supposing tliat he must always have been destined to 
lead the life of an invalid. lie lias told me himself, that, more than 
forty years ago, he embarked from one of yonder wharves, on a 
voyagi' to the Mediterraneau, without an expectation, on the part of 
his friends, llial he could li\e to return liome. I>ul within that 



APPENDIX. 51 

secmiiiL'ly feeble frame there was an indomitable will ; there was a 
cheerful ami courageous spirit, and a raiud of extraordinary activity. 

Descended from an ancient and honored stock, whose memorials 
are abundant in Old Ennlaud and in New England, the sou of a 
worthy Massachusetts clergyman, he enjoyed, in his boyhood, the 
unspeakable advantages of a good school education and of a religious 
home. But his tastes were not for literary pursuits ; and he never 
entered on a collegiate course. Nature had plainly endowed him 
with ([ualities peculiarly adapted to a practical, business life ; and he 
was not slow in finding it out. 

lie was a man of (juick and keen perception ; reaching results by 
a sort of intuition or instinct, which others would have attained 
by long processes of thought and study. He was a man of prompt 
and firm decision ; relying upon his own impressions ; obedient to his 
own convictions ; not troubled with many d<jubts on any subject, and 
rarely leaning upon the counsels of others. He was a man of mar- 
vellous despatch and energy in the execution of his plans and purposes; 
impatient of delay in accomplishing whatever his judgment had once 
approved as right and best under the circumstances before him. 
Whatever his hand found to do, lie literally " did it with all his 
might." Entering early uiion mercantile pursuits with these natural 
adaptations, and refusiug to yield to a condition of physical infirmity 
whicli would have forced so many others into retirement before they 
had reached their maturity, he persevered in his chosen calling, with 
unabated activity, until within a short period of his death at the 
advanced age of seventy-five years. From first to last, the most 
signal success attended him in almost all his business transactions. 
He amassed a great fortune ; and he was by no means indifferent to 
its increase. He never disguised the satisfaction with which he saw 
it grow and roll up under ids careful and skilful management. 

But happily for him, and happily for the community in which he 
lived, his acknowledged love of wealth, and his unsurpassed sagacity 
in acfpiiring it, not only never obtained the mastery over his higher 
and nol)ler attributes, but rallicr served to secure a wider scope for 
their development and exercise. He ever cherished and cultivated — 
not out of anv mere generous impulse, and still less out of any unworthy 
ostentation, but as a matter of Christian principle and conscientious 
obligation — a spirit and a habit of the largest liberality and benefi- 
cence. It seemed as if his capacity for acquisition could only be 
surpassed by his readiness to give and his gladness to distribute. 



52 MEMOIK OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETOX. 

The public iustitutions ^vliich liavu boeu the subject of his bounty are 
knowu to us all. We may see them ou all sides of us. The noble 
structures which he erected, the excellent establishments which he 
endowed, are his best monuments ; and the blessings of those to 
whose temporal or spiritual comfort they were consecrated are his 
just and all-sutiicient eulogy. Yet, if I mistake not, these public 
endowments would make up but a small part of the history of his 
life-long beneficence. The private charities which he has dispensed, 
year by year and day by day, when his left hand was hardly per- 
mitted to know what his right hand was doing, — could they ever be 
recounted in full, would occupy even a larger and a brighter page ; 
and, if they are never recounted on earth, we know they will lune 
secured for themselves, and will have secured for him, a record ou 
high, compared with which all earthly celebrity is but as scninding 
brass or a tinkling cymbal. 

]Mr. President, the character and career of our dcqinrted friend 
may be regarded in many diti'erent aspects. As a merchant of 
eminent sagacity and unsullied integrity ; as a public man, who has 
rendered valuable and patriotic services to his country, both in his 
early relations to the Bank of the United States and in his more 
recent connection with the National Legislature ; as a fellow-citizen 
and friend, faithful to every private duty, given to hospitality and 
good neighborhood, and never withholding his time, his counsel, or 
his purso, from the exigencies of others ; as a benevolent and munifi- 
cent patron of so many of our noble institutions of religion, education, 
and jjliilanthropy ; in all these respects alike, he has been distin- 
guished among the most distinguished ; and, in some of them, he has 
hardly left his peer. 

Yet I hazard nothing in saying, that he would himself have desired 
to be remembered, above all, as a humble, sincere, devoted Christian ; 
not bigoted, not boastful; of the largest toleration and most compre- 
hensive charity, rather ; but adhering, with open and unswerving alle- 
giance, to the precepts and doctrines of the gospel as he understood 
them, and (o that faith in Christ, which he told me, as he pressed 
my hand fur tlie last time a few days since, was the sure and stead- 
fast anchor of his soul. That failh ha<l sustained him in life, under 
a succession of domestic atliictious such as had fallen to the lot of 
few other men ; and it could not, and did not, fail him in the hour 
of death. That was the \ery hour of its richest consolations and its 
niost assured triumphs. 



APPENDIX. 53 

Sir, the inercLants of Boston, and not the merchants only, but our 
whole community, may well be sadileued as one after another of 
our most eminent and excellent men are taken away from us. Their 
loss would have been felt deeply at any time ; but we miss them 
especially in this liour of our country's agony, when we have so much 
need of the wisest counsels and the best men. Our Perkinses and 
Lawrences and Appletons, our Lyman and Eliot and Josiah Bradlee 
and good Moses Grant — I cannot recall them all ; but how much of 
the proudest and worthiest part of our loeal history is associated with 
names like these ! Let us have uo fear, however, that the race of our 
public-spirited men is yet exhausted. Let us not even linger around 
the honored remains which we are about to follow to the gra\e, as if 
it were possible that the succession of public benefactors, with which 
we have so long been blessed, were coming to an end. Uno avulso, 
non deficit aureiis alter. Such examples can never be lost on the 
generations which are rising up to occupy the vacant places. Xor 
can Boston ever be without sons who will uphold her ancient renown 
for liberality and munificence. 

Yet at this hour, perhaps, we may not be quite able to repress a 
doubt, whether, in the long centuries of prosperity which we trust 
may still be in reserve for our beloved city, there will be foimd, 
among those who shall successively inhabit it, a name which will be 
associated with greater purity and greater beneficence, and around 
which will be clustered memories more precious, for time and for 
eternity, than that of the lamented friend to whom wo have assem- 
bled to pay this farewell tribute of respect and gratitude. 

It only remains for me, Sir, to second the resolutions ; which I do 
with all my heart. 

The meeting then adjourned to attend the funeral ser- 
vices. 

THE KUXEUAL SEUVRES. 

The funeral services were hekl at ."^t. Paul's (Episcopal) 
Cliurch at twelve o'clock, noon. A large number of the 
relatives and friends of the deceased, with many members of 
the City Government, were present. The remains, enclosed 
in a rosewood coffin trimmed with silver and covered with 
flowers, were carried from Iiis late residence in Beacon 



54 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

Street to the cliurcli, where they were received by the 
Avarden and vestrymen. The bearers were Sullivan Warren, 
George H. Lyman, Isaac Emery, Benjamin F. Hallett, James 
B. Upham, and John P. Putnam. The solemn ])urial service 
of the Ejjiscopal Church was conducted by Rev. Dr. A. H. 
Vinton, Bishop Potter of Pennsylvania, Rev. Dr. Stone of 
Brookline, and the Rector of St. Paul's. 

After the ceremonies, the body was accompanied to ISIonnt 
Auburn by a very large company in carriages. The closing 
service of the Episcopal Church was read at the grave. 



MEETING OF THE WARDENS AND VESTRY OF SI'. PAUL'S 

CHURCH. 

]\rr. Appleton was one of the fouuders of St. raul's Church in 
tliis city; of wliicli he coutinued to be an active member, and was 
one of the wardens, at the time of liis death. He was warmly inter- 
ested in all the concerns of that parish ; and it is largely indebted to 
liim for its signal prosperity and efficiency. St. Stephen's Chnrch in 
this city was bnilt and endowed by his liberality; and there has been 
hardly any enterprise connected witii the intirests of our church in 
this diocese, or in tlie country at large, which has not had tiie benetit 
of his wise counsels and liberal benefactions, lie has been a fre- 
(|ncut delegate from St. Paul's Church to our Diocesan Convention; 
and, for many years, be lias becni unanimously chosen by the Con- 
vention as one of the delegation from this diocese to tiie (ieneral 
Convi'Ution. lie was warmly attached to the Protestant-Episcopal 
Church, and alive to all its interests. Our whole couirauuion mourn 
his departure ; yet tiiey feel, that in such a calm, clear, peaceful 
close of a long life of honor and of Christian nsefulness, there are 
grounds of abundant consolation, not only for themselves, but for 
those who are still more nearly and deeply bereaved. 

The funeral of Mr. Appleton was attended at St. Paul's Chnrch 
by a very large concourse of his fcllow-citi/cns and friends. Many 



APPENDIX. 55 

of the clergy of our church were present. The services were con- 
thicted by the Rt. Kev. Alonzo Potter, D.D., Bishop of Pcnusylviinia, 
the Rev. John S. Stone, D.D., Rev. Alexander H. Vinton, D.D., 
and the Rev. AVilliam R. Nicholson, D.D. These clergymen have 
all sustained the relation of pastor to Mr. Applcton, as rectors of St. 
Paul's ; and their presence added nuich to the solemuity and iiiiprcs- 
siveness of the occasion. 

At a meeting of the Wardens and Vestry of St. Paul's Cliurch in 
Boston, held on Sunday, Feb. IG, in the vestry of the church, the 
following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted : — 

Whereas, It has pleased our heavenly Father to take to himself 
our late friend and associate, the Hon. William Appleton ; and — 

Whereas, Mr. Appletou was one of the founders of St. Paul's 
Church, and has, from its earliest liistory, retained a most lively 
interest in its welfare, both temporal and spiritual, — having been, for 
many years, one of the wardens of the church, and ready at all 
times to increase its prosperity by his counsel and his means ; 
and — 

Whereas, For these reasons, and from our sincere regard, respect, 
and love for the deceased, it is pcculiai'ly fitting that this vestry 
should take appropriate notice of liis death : therefore — 

Resolved, That, in the death of Mr. Appleton, we acknowledge the 
hand of our heavenly Father, who doeth all things well ; and bow in 
.submission to his will. 

Itcsvlved, That we sincerely symjiathize with the afflicted family 
and friends of the deceased in being called to part with one upon 
whom they have leaned with so much confidence, love, and respect. 

Resitlvrd, That St. Paul's Churcli has lost one of its earliest and 
best friends ; one \\\\o e\er rejoiced in her prosperity, and counselled 
her in her trials and prosperity ; one who, to the day of his death, 
loved her with a sincere and strong aflfection. 

Resnlved, That the calm, steady, and firm Christian character of 
the deceased, his unvaried kindness towards all of us, his judicious 
counsels and firm integrity, ha^■c always endeared him to us, and 
will be ever kept fresh in our memory. 

Resolved, That tlie mercantile profession has lost one of its 
brightest ornaments, tlie Church one of its most steady and consistent 
members, the poor a kind and (-onstaut friend, our benevolent insti- 
tutions one of their niosl liberal benefactors, and the country a (inn 



56 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

supporter of the Constitution ; and, while we all mourn his loss, our 
grief is mitigated by the reflection, that he has exchanged a life full 
of trials for one of peace and joy, and, in full trust in the merits of 
his Saviour for his acceptance, has gone down to his grave, full 
of years and full of honors. 

Bcsolved, That, in token of our respect for the memory of the 
deceased, we will attend his funeral as a body. 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the 
clerk to the family of the deceased, and to the " Christian Witness" 
for publication. 

A true copy from the record. 

Attest : J. P. PuTSAJl, Clerk. 

(From ihe '^Chrislian Witness.") 



MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL. 

The Corporation of the Massachusetts General Hos- 
pital held a special meeting at the hospital, for the 
purpose, chiefly, of taking action in relation to the 
death of its President, the late Hon. William Appleton. 
The Vice-President, Robert Hooper, Esq., presided ; 
and T. B. Hall, Esq., officiated as secretary. After 
appropriate eulogies, the following resolutions were 
unanimously adopted : — 

Resolved, Tiiat, in the death of the Hon. William Appleton, this 
corporation lias met with a great loss. He was connected with the 
management of its affairs for twenty-five years ; always with a lively 
interest in the prosecution of its charitable purposes. The institution 
is greatly indebted to his prudent counsels, as well as to his well- 
directed benevolence. His munificent donations enabled the trustees 
to do much for the comfort, as well as for the cure, of those insane 
whose limited means might otherwise have deprived them of Ihe full 



APPENDIX. 57 

iulvautages of a residence at the asylum. Tlie fuiul which ho estab- 
lished for the assistance of the curable insane has abounded in rich 
fruits. The buildings bearing his name at Somerville, which were 
erected at his suggestion and chiefly by his bounty, are honorable 
mouumcnts both of his sagacity and of his benevolence. 

Resolved, That a copy of these proceedings be communicated to 
the family of Mr. Appleton, with assurances of the sympathy of the 
members of the corporation with them in tlieir bereavement, and of 
their appreciation of tiie honorable and Christian character of the 
deceased. 



The following brief and appropriate tribute to Mr. 

Appleton is copied from the Annual Report of the 

Superintendent of the M'Lean Asylum for the Insane 
for the year 1862 : — 

" Holding for many years the position of Trustee and President, 
Mr. Appleton became thoroughly acquainted with and interested in 
the real wants of those for whose necessities this institution was 
established, and gave his influence and his wealth, heartily and 
munificently, to cany out, to the fullest extent possible, its beneficent 
purposes for their relief. The 'Appleton Wards,' contributing all that 
elegance and convenience can contribute to the contentment of their 
occupants, and hiding, by their comfortable and cheerful arrange- 
ments, the necessities for restraint, and compensating, as far as possi- 
ble, for a withdi-awal from home ; and the 'Appleton Fund, for the 
assistance and support of needy, curable patients,' giving aid at just 
the time of the greatest necessity, and causing a daily increasing 
number, with the return of health and reason, to bless the unknown 
giver for the means of recovery, — these proofs of his discriminating 
and far-sighted benevolence, conspicuous among the unnumbered 
charities by which he constantly and yet unostentatiously consecrated 
his wealth and transmuted it into the treasures of heaven, will 
environ his memory for ever with gi'atitude and admiration, and 
clothe his name with the unsullied honor which only follows an 
earnest Christian life." 



58 MEMOIR OF nOX. •WILLIAM APPLETOX. 



MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 

At a stated meeting of the Massachusetts Historical 
Society, held ou Thiu-sday, March 13, 1862, the Presi- 
dent, Hon. Robert C. Winthrop, — after alluding to the 
late Hon. Luther V. Bell, as the only member of 
the Society who had yet fallen in the military service 
of the country, and before paying a tribute to the me- 
mory of the late President Felton, — announced the 
death of the Hon. William Appleton, as follows : — 

It would hardly be quite just, however, to the memory of" another 
lamented associate, — the Hon. William Appleton, — whose death 
we are next called on to notice this evening, were we to forget that 
his immediate decline was undoubtedly accelerated by the labors and 
cares with which his strength had been overtasked in the ci\il ser\-ice 
of the Union. As a member of the House of Representatives of the 
United States, he remained faithfully at his post, during the anxious 
and agitating session of the last summer, long after his health had 
become so seriously impaired as to excite the just apprehensions of 
his friends. His commercial information and financial experience 
were indispensable to the committee of which he was a member, and 
his colleagues on that committee were unwilling to sjiaro him from 
their councils. He returned home at last, debilitated and exhausted ; 
and resigned his seat only in season to make final preparations for the 
change which so soon awaited him. 

It has already been my privilege to unite with our fellow-citizens 
in paying a tribute to this excellent man and public benefactor ; and I 
forbear from adding any thing on this occasion to the simple announce- 
ment of his death. 

Dr. LoTHRop then ofl'erc'd the foUowiug remarks : — 

We have noticed the death of the scholar, whose mind, through 
reading and study, was richly stored with all the learning of the 
schools ; who, iu early childhood, took to books as the food of his 
life, and had passed almost the whole of that life in the quiet groves 
of the academy ; and wlio, by his literary labors and his distinguished 



APPENDIX. 59 

literary position, was widely kuowu, and largely honored, and emi- 
iHMitly useful. At the University, where we hoped he would have a 
long and brilliant career as its President ; in this modern Athens, as 
our city has sometimes been called ; far away in that old Athens of 
Greece, to which you, sir, have so felicitously referred, where to many 
his form was as familiar, and his name as honored and beloved, as 
among ourselves ; evorywherc thronghout the great republic of letters, 
— his death is an<l will be felt to be a calamity; and here in this 
Society, this evening, we all respond most heartily to the just and 
beautiful tributes which gentlemen, themselves so distinguished, have 
paiil to his memory. 

But we all know, Mr. President, that the unwTitten wisdom of the 
world far exceeds the written. There is more of talent and genius in 
every generation than shows itself in books or in what we emphasize 
as learning and scholarship. The intellectual ability requisite, and 
often exhibited, in various departments of practical business in life, 
is fully equal, if it do not surpass, that exhibited in what we designate 
as purely literary pursuits. For a man to raise himself to the first 
rank among the merchants of a great city or country, — not, I mean, 
simply to amass a gi-eat fortune, but to form a character, establish a 
reputation, reach a position from which he exercises a commanding 
influence in all commercial and financial affairs, his advice sought, his 
judgment appealed to, his wisdom relied upon in the chambers of 
conimcrcc and in the councils of the cabinet, — for a man to do this 
requires as much talent, a degree of intellectual vigor and acumen as 
great, as for another to raise himself to the first rank among scholars. 
Our Massachusetts Historical Society has always honored itself Ijy 
calling to its ranks, and having on its roll of members, some repre- 
sentatives of this class of men ; not because they were learned men, 
in the ordinary meaning of that word ; not because they were par- 
ticularly interested in historical pursuits or studies ; but because they 
^^•ere men of vigorous intellect ; because they were men, who, by the 
energy of their minds, and the activity of their lives, and the large- 
ness of their commercial enterprises, had exerted, or were exerting, 
an important influence upon all those social institutions, interests, and 
events that enter into the composition of history, and form a part of 
tlie great reservoir from which history draws its materials. 

The loss of siicli a man from our record of membership we are 
called to notlci' an<l regret this evening, in the death of the late Hon. 
'William Aiiplet(jn. 'i'hc outline of his life is familiar to most of us, 



GO MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

and corresponds to that of many of the merchants of this city who 
have risen to distinguished eminence and usefulness. The son of a 
clergyman in a small town in Worcester County, with only the educa- 
tion that could be furnished him by the district school and the county 
academy, he came to this town while yet in his teens, with no capital 
but his talents, his energy, his industry, his .sound principles, his pure 
morals, and his honorable aims ; and, through them, he worked his 
way to the distinguished commercial, social, and political position 
Avhich he has so long occupied. 

One of the prominent qualities exhibited in Mr. Appleton's charac- 
ter and career seems to have been an indomitable energy, that insisted 
upon achieving success, — insisted upon persevering, and keeping at 
work, even under that great discouragement of ill health, before which 
most men succumb. From his early manhood, ]\Ir. Appleton has 
always been an invalid. Nearly half a ccntiuy ago, he made his will, 
and sailed from this port on a voyage for his health, with but the 
slightest possible prospect, the faintest possible hope, of returning 
alive. Through the good providence of God, and, without irreve- 
rence I may say it (for the influence of such mental feeling in staying 
the progress of disease is an admitted fact), through the indomitable 
determination of his own mind that he would get well, he did get 
well enough to return, and resume business. He lived to administer 
upon the estates of all the gentlemen who were named as his own 
executors in his original will. From the time of his return from that 
\ojiige up to a few months ago, with a body so frail and light that one 
almost feared sometimes that the wind would blow him away ; with 
his health often so feeble, that it seemed sometimes as if in a few 
weeks his strength must utterly fail, and death claim its own ; with a 
resolution and pluck that would have gained him every battle had he 
been a general ; with an industry, wisdom, and intellectual astuteness, 
that would have placed him at the head of the bar had he been a 
lawyer, or at the head of the nation had he given himself exclusively 
to politics and statesmanship, — he has persevered, done a vast 
amount of work, and been remarkable among our merchants for his 
energy, activity, and enterprise. Mr. Appleton had a vigorous, pene- 
trating, comprehensive intellect, by which he embraced alike, and with 
equal ease, both the principles and details of any subject to which he 
gave his attention. I need scarcely add, that this intellect was under 
the guidance of high principles, sanctified by religious faith and cul- 
ture. He was a man of unsullied integrity, of singular purity, and 



APPENDIX. 61 

of large benevolence. It was these qualities that gave wisdom to his 
judgment in all commercial and financial matters ; caused it to be 
honored and confided in on the Exchange, in the walks of business, 
and in the councils of state ; and secured an almost certain success to 
his enterprises. It was these qualities that led to his being designated 
and twice elected, by the merchants and citizens of Boston, to repre- 
sent them in the Congress of tlie United States ; a post which he 
filled witli honor to himself, and with usefulness to his constituents 
and to the country. It was through these qualities that he amassed 
a large fortune ; which was not hoarded for selfish purposes, but used 
in various ways for the good of others. Mr. Appleton was always a 
liberal giver, both in private charities and to public institutions and 
interests ; but always, of course, making his own selections, accord- 
ing to his own judgment, and, where that judgment was adverse, 
expressing it with a refusal so prompt and decisive, that his character 
may have been misunderstood and misinterpreted sometimes by those 
not intimately acquainted with him. But he was faithful to his trusts, 
and gave largely from large means. 

Mr. President, the two deaths which we notice this evening awaken 
different emotions. President Felton was in the very vigor of his 
manhood, in the full maturity of his intellectual and moral powers, 
with his natural strength unabated, with a growing fame, and an 
increasing usefulness in an official position for which he had a rare 
combination of qualities. His death is the extinction of many and 
gi'aud hopes, and it costs us an effort to bow to the inscrutable decrees 
of Providence. Mr. Appleton had passed beyond the allotted term of 
human life, and was sinking into the vale of years. He had accom- 
plished the purposes of this earthly pilgrimage ; and we acquiesce 
easily in the wisdom and the mercy that released him. His life, so 
full of energy, activity, usefulness, benevolence, impregnated and per- 
vaded throughout by the spirit of a humble faith in our Lord .Jesus 
Christ, closed in sincerity and peace, leaving behind it that memory 
of the just which is blessed, while the immortal spirit passed on to a 
holier rest and better happiness than can be found on earth. 

I see around me, sir, several gentlemen more nearly his contem- 
poraries, and more competent to speak of Mr. Appleton, than I am. 
I hope they will do so. At your request, and because of late years, 
through some associations, I have been thrown into somewhat inti- 
mate relations with him, I have assumed the privilege of paying this 
tribute to his memory. 



62 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETON. 

Colonel AspiNWALL spoke substantially as follows : — 

In rising to comply with a rather siuUlun call to support the reso- 
lutions now before the meeting, I am reminded, that, within the year, 
the honored name of Appleton has, in two instances, been struck from 
the list of our living associates. 

Wlien our lamented colleague, the Hon. Nathan Appleton, was 
taken from us, I was prevented, by imperative circumstances, from 
uniting in any public manifestation of sorrow for the great loss sus- 
tained by the whole community, and particularly by our own Society, 
in the death of an individual so eminent for his public and private 
virtues, as a merchant and a legislator, as a promoter of our national 
industry and commerce, and as a political economist. 

Now another of the name, the Hon. William Ajijjleton, has also 
terminated his earthly career ; and perhaps it is not entirely out of 
place that a surviving colleague, whose years have already passed the 
ordinary limits of life, should say a few words in honor of one whose 
distinguished peculiarity it was always to feel, that, "in the midst of 
life, we are in death." Tliis predominating feeling, arising from a 
feeble and precarious condition of health, gave a character to his 
whole conduct. It kept him in constant preparation for the hour of 
death and the day of judgment. It taught him the insigniticance 
of the concerns of this brief existence, iu comparison with those of 
eternity. It made him pre-eminently a man of truth, integrity, jus- 
tice, and benevolence. 

It has been said that he was passionately devoted to the accumula- 
tion of wealth. The fact might have been plausibly questioned or 
denied ; but he was himself the first to avow it. The extent and 
multiplicity of his charities and benefactions show very plainly, that, 
whatever may have been the intensity of his love of wealth, it was 
always kept in subjection to his regard for the interests of Iiis fellow- 
creatures, and his reverence for the will of his heavenly Father. 

In this assembly, where the character and merits of Mr. Appleton 
in his domestic and public relations are well known, as they are 
throughout the whole community, it is not my purpose to say any 
thing of his excellences as a citizen, a merchant, or a legislator. All 
these have been already admirably portrayed by the reverend member 
who |ireceded me here, and in the eulogies delivered elsewhere by two 
of our ablest and most eloquent associates. 

But having, for nuitiy years, occupied an official station in London, 



APPENDIX. C3 

■which brought me info constant familiarity with our commercial inte- 
rests and the individuals connected with them, I would mention, that 
Mr. Appleton's cliaractcr was well known in Europe, and as hit:;hly 
estimated there as it is here. In many a commercial crisis that 
occurred during the term of my residence abroad, I know that his 
o])iuion was sought for and confidently relied on by many friends of 
our country, not only in regard to matters of commerce and finance, 
but also upon political subjects of grave importance. 

Soon after my return to this country, I had the opportunity of wit- 
nessing, at AVasliiugton, the marked respect and regard paid him, oven 
by his political adversaries ; and of learning, also, that he was con- 
sidered as almost the guide and teacher of the Committee of Ways 
and Means, to wliich he belonged. 

In later years, it has been my good fortune to cultivate and enjoy 
his acquaintance, and to become more conversant with his good deeds 
and high principles. I have ever found him a friend, a good man, 
and one who did not fear to die. 

The following resolution was then unanimously adopt- 
ed : — 

Besohrd, That this Society has heard, with the deepest regret, of 
the death of their esteemed and respected associate, the Hon. Wil- 
liam Appleton ; and that Dr. Chandler Robbins be requested to pre- 
pare the customary Memoir of Mr. Appleton for the Proceedings. 



STRIKING COINCIDENCES. 

Those who were present at the funeral of Mr. Appleton on 
Tuesday last were deeply impressed with the circumstance, that all 
the clergymen living, who have been rectors of St. Paul's Ciiurch, 
were present in the chancel, and olRciating in the solemn burial ser- 
vice. Since its formation in 1820, this church has had Jive rectors ; 
of whom the Rev. Dr. Jarvis was the first. He was followed, suc- 
cessively, by the Rev. Aloiizo Potter, D.D., Bishop of Pennsylvania, 
the Rev. John S. Stone, D.D., the Rev. A. H. Vinton, D.D., and 



64 MEMOIR OF HON. WILLIAM APPLETOX. 

the prcseut rector, Rev. AVilliam R. Nicliolson, D.D. It was re- 
markable that so many prominent clergymen, who have been highly 
esteemed in their connection with this church, and very intimately 
associated with Mr. Appleton in their pastoral relations, should have 
oflieiated at his funeral. 

It was also a striking fact, that the funeral procession had hardly 
passed from the church, on its way to Mount Auburn, before the 
whole city was stirred with the patriotic demonstrations of rejoicing 
which had been ordered by the mayor to celebrate the recent victo- 
ries that have gladdened the heart of our nation. The salutes were 
postponed for one hour in consideration of the funeral ; and they then 
fell not inappropriately upon the ear. It was fitting that so promi- 
nent a public man, and one of the firmest supporters of our Constitu- 
tion, should be borne to his grave amid the first echoes of a rejoicing 
which is the harbinger of restored union and peace to our beloved 
country. — Christian Witness. 





MKMOIR 




OF 


HON. 


WILLIAM APPLETON. 




rnKI-AKED AGREKAIiLY TO A liESOLUTION 




OF THE 


MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 




BY 




REV. CHANDLER ROBBINS, D.D. 




fWitl) an appcnSii. 




BOSTON: 




PRINTED BY JOHN WILSON AND SON, 




5, Water Street. 




1863. 



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